The Delhi High Court has directed state authorities, including the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Public Works Department (PWD), and, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to submit a detailed report on the progress of tree planting financed by deposited funds from defaulting litigants
A single bench of Justice Navin Chawla noted that the compliance situation with the previous tree planting directive paints a “gloomy picture” and cautioned that any further non-compliance would be taken “very seriously.”
According to the court commissioner, advocate Aditya N Prasad, despite repeated requests and follow-ups, the plantation process is progressing at an exceptionally slow pace and is expected to take nearly a year to finalize. He further revealed a lack of cooperation not only among various organizations but even within different departments of the same entities.
“In light of the report from the learned Court Commissioner, it is mandated that the concerned organizations, including NDMC, MCD, PWD, NHAI, DDA, etc., furnish a detailed action taken report within two weeks from today. Non-compliance with previous court orders will be treated as a grave matter,” the order stated.
The court also granted the nodal officers of NDMC,MCD, PWD, NHAI, Delhi Development Authority (DDA), etc., who are primarily responsible for tree plantation, the authority to seek cooperation from other departments such as BSES (Bombay Suburban Electricity Supply), IGL (Indraprastha Gas Limited), DJB (Delhi Jal Board), etc. Upon receiving such requests, the respective officers are expected to fully collaborate in the plantation process.
Earlier this year, the high court mandated the authorities to plant a minimum of 10,000 trees in the city using the over Rs 70 lakh deposited by defaulting litigants as costs.
Additionally, the court directed its registry to publicize the existence of the Green Delhi Account in the ‘Cause List,’ informing citizens and public-spirited entities that they can directly contribute.
The case is scheduled for the next hearing on September 4, 2023.
