The Delhi Ridge

From what I have heard, I have come to the understanding that the site where New Delhi now stands was forested and largely unhinhabited. It was an empty canvas for the British to start from scratch. The forestry was gradually cleared and now has been reduced to what is now called 'The Delhi Ridge'. The ridge is protected and now serves as the lungs of Delhi, cleaning the overly polluted air.

Here are some general facts about the Delhi Ridge as Wikipedia puts it:

The ridge is a northern extension of the Aravalli Range. The ridge consists of quartzite rocks and extends from the Southeast at Tughlaqabad, near the Bhatti mines, branching out in places and tapering off in the north near Wazirabad on the west bank of the river Yamuna, covering a distance of about 35 kilometers.
The Delhi ridge is said to be the green lungs for the city. It protects Delhi from the hot winds of the deserts of Rajasthan to the west. The ridge is divided into four zones, namely the southern ridge, the south central ridge, the central or the new ridge, and the northern or the Old Delhi ridge.

In fact much of New Delhi's wilderness was cleared as late as the late 70's and older residents recollect the now unrecognizable concrete jungles as once being densely forested. What started out as small dirt tracks as people cut through their way accross the vegetation has now transformed into urban chaos.

The Ridge no longer runs as a continous strip now but has been reduced to islands of green. While the ridge in central delhi may be relativly safe, the section near Dhaula Kuan is infested with crime. The forest cover appeals to the dark underworld in a very different way.

NGO's and concerned citizens are crying themselves hoarse over the mindless destruction of the Delhi ridge. Humans are slowly chipping away at the Ridge as the hunger for land continues. There was a time when deers, jackals, peacocks and other wild creatures were often spotted in the ridge. Now, few remain and the desperate few stray into the city and die an ugly death. Their habitat is virtually lost as the fauna has clearly diminished over the years.