An indistinguishable urban feature of Delhi is the 'Delhi Ridge forests'. Known as the lungs of Delhi they result from a series of historical efforts into afforestation of the rocky Aravalli Hills, believed to have formed 150 million years ago. December 2011 marks the centenary of the announcement of the British imperial capital move from Calcutta to Delhi. The Master planner of this new city was Sir Edwin Lutyens who led a team including horticulturists. The ridge was extensively planted with Babul and Neem trees and declared a 'reserved forest'. Lutyens' Delhi is also unique in its character of tree-lined avenues, even though with hindsight a different selection of trees may have sustained the local micro-climate and hydro-geology better.
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