Maharashtra government has announced the reservation of 600 acres of Aarey land near Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) as forest.
The govt claiming it as the first instance of an extensive forest blossoming within the limits of metropolis anywhere in the world.
A reserve forest denotes forests accorded a certain degree of protection.
The term was first introduced in the Indian Forest Act, 1927 during British India
Rights to all activities like hunting, grazing, etc. in reserved forests are banned unless specific orders are issued otherwise.
The reserved forests are declared by the respective state governments but national parks or wildlife sanctuaries are declared by the central government.