The Principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), New Delhi, heard matter concerning allegations of encroachment on 30 bigha 5 biswa of land in village Najafgarh, recorded in revenue records as a water body (“Johar”).
The applicants alleged that the land, spread across multiple khasra numbers, had been encroached upon by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) through construction of a bus terminal and a multi-storey commercial building. The District Magistrate (South West), in affidavits, confirmed that the land is recorded as a water body under Gram Sabha ownership. The DTC, however, contended that the land was allotted to it by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in 1998.
According to the DDA, the land was declared urbanized in 1963, transferred to it in 1974, subsequently handed over to its Horticulture Department in 1981, and later transferred in 2016 to the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (now MCD) for upkeep and maintenance.
The Tribunal directed the DDA to specifically clarify whether any part of the water body had been transferred to the DTC and to place complete details on record by way of an affidavit within four weeks.
The matter is scheduled for further hearing on 14 November 2025.