Delhi Govt Shows Insensitivity…Supreme Court Condemns For Giving Permission To Cut 422 Trees
The Supreme Court has restrained the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) which had given permission to cut 422 trees to build a road in the reserved forest area of the Southern Ridge. The court said that the Delhi government has shown apathy towards protecting the environment. On Wednesday, a Supreme Court bench comprising Justice Abhay S Oga and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan heard the case. The bench said this was an acceptable position as the report of the tree officer showed that the officer had not given permission to cut 422 trees. A contempt of court case was heard in the case of felling of 1,100 trees in the Ridge Forest area for road widening. The court itself held an inquiry against the vice-chairman of the DDA. Delhi Govt Shows Insensitivity – The SC had earlier, in its order on July 12, said that 'Delhi Government should accept the charge of giving permission to cut 422 trees but Delhi Government has no legal right to give such permission'. Thus, the court said that the Delhi Government under the Tree Preservation Act, 1994 has facilitated unauthorized felling of trees outside the ridge area, excluding the trees in the ridge area. Also Read- Karnataka Reservation: 100 per cent reservation in private jobs, CM Siddaramaiah removed the post after controversy that the Delhi government, like the DDA, has shown apathy towards protecting the environment. The bench said the Delhi government had not even provided offices or infrastructure to the timber authority and the timber commission. A two-judge bench said the Delhi government should come before the court and explain 'how it will compensate for the environmental damage caused by illegal activities'. Not only this, the Delhi government's affidavit said that this was not the only case in which the Delhi government's forest department had given permission to cut trees. The Supreme Court has asked the Delhi government to submit a report on action taken against officials accused of giving permission to cut trees.
