New Delhi, Dec. 11 -- The Union environment ministry has reconstituted the Delhi Ridge Management Board (DRMB) with statutory powers, as directed by the Supreme Court in November, in a move that will create one entity responsible for issuing permissions related to use of the Delhi Ridge, and monitoring and acting against encroachments and other violations that threaten the Capital's green lung. It replaces the existing Ridge Management Board, which was constituted in 1995 and reconstituted several times, albeit without statutory powers. The December 1 notification was issued under powers conferred by sub-section (3) of Section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. This section empowers the Centre to establish specific authorities to exercise and perform certain powers and functions. The 2021 Master Plan for Delhi identifies the Delhi Ridge as an area measuring 7,777 hectares of land, divided into four zones: Northern, Central, South Central (Mehrauli), and Southern. The Ridge - often described as the city's "green lungs" - has long been under pressure from real estate interests, construction activity, and government projects....