India, March 27 -- It will take four years to increase Delhi's green cover to 33% of its total land area and to conduct the city's first-ever tree census, according to a draft action plan submitted by the Dehradun-based Forest Research Institute (FRI) to the Supreme Court. The apex court has asked the expert body to reduce both the budget and the timeline for these projects.

The top court bench headed by justice Abhay S Oka directed FRI to submit a revised plan for the tree census within a month and another for the green cover enhancement by June.

The action plan, presented in two reports by FRI, proposed dividing the greening project into four phases, with the first phase focusing on a detailed roadmap, consultations, and collaboration...