The Supreme Court has criticized the Delhi government for showing insensitivity towards environmental protection by allowing the Delhi Development Authority to cut down 422 trees in the Southern Ridge’s reserve forest for road construction.
A bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan noted that the tree officer did not grant any permission for this felling.
The apex court was addressing suo motu contempt proceedings against the DDA vice chairman over allegations of cutting 1,100 trees in the ridge forest for a road widening project. The bench held the Delhi government responsible for granting permission to fell the trees without having statutory authority to do so, pointing out that similar permissions were issued in the past without proper legal basis.
The court also highlighted the Delhi government’s failure to provide adequate infrastructure and office space for the tree officer and the Tree Authority. It directed the government to explain how it plans to compensate for the environmental damage caused by its illegal actions and to report on actions taken against officers who granted such permissions.
The Supreme Court instructed the Delhi government to stop exercising non-existent powers to grant tree-felling permissions and to review all such permissions issued in the past five years. The Delhi government was also asked to report on measures being taken to prevent environmental damage and illegal tree felling.
The court expressed frustration over the continuous cover-up by authorities regarding the role of Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena in tree felling in the ridge area. The DDA was directed to clarify whether the decision to cut trees was based on the LG’s oral permission or an independent decision by the DDA.
Senior advocate Aditya Sondhi, representing the Delhi government, assured the court that the Tree Authority and the tree officer would be provided with the necessary infrastructure, staff, and equipment within 6 weeks. The court emphasized that the Tree Authority must be properly constituted and that the forest department must have the required infrastructure in place within two months. An affidavit from the Delhi government was requested to detail measures being taken to prevent further environmental damage.
The court had previously issued a notice of criminal contempt against DDA vice chairman Subhasish Panda for permitting large-scale tree felling in the Southern Ridge’s Satbari area for the construction of a road from Chhattarpur to the South Asian University.
