New Delhi: AAP on Sunday claimed affidavits filed by Delhi officials before the Supreme Court in Satbari Tree felling The case shows that Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena had visited the site in the Ridge area where the trees were felled “without proper permission”.
Citing affidavits of the officials about the alleged felling of 1,100 trees in the highland forest for a road widening project, Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said that the lg and senior officials were either complicit in the illegal actions or were deliberately ignorant of them. He said the trees were cut down with the connivance of all those involved and the officials were now lying to protect the LG.
The LG House did not comment on the allegation.
“For the past few days, the Supreme Court has been hearing a case relating to illegal felling of around 1,100 trees in Delhi’s Satbari Ridge area without permission,” he said. “I and my party (AAP) have been constantly claiming that LG Vinai Saxena had personally visited the tree felling site on February 3, 2024. When the court asked about it, it was misled. It was said that the LG did not go there but wanted to visit the hospital,” he said. “After that, the Supreme Court asked all the officials to file their affidavits. Some officials have filed affidavits but some are still probing it,” he added.
Submitting the affidavits as evidence, Bharadwaj said that Chief Forest Officer Sunil Bakshi had said in his affidavit that the LG had reached the spot. It says that the LG had given the instruction to expedite the work. “DDA member and engineer Ashok Kumar Gupta has written in his affidavit that after completing his visit to the Central Armed Police Force Institute of Medical Science Hospital, the LG had made a stopover on the CAPFIMS road where he had inspected the progress of the road work.” He said the LG has kept this secret till date.
Reading out the affidavit of the Chief Secretary, Bharadwaj said, “The Chief Secretary mentioned that to his knowledge, none of the officers on the ground had informed the LG about the Supreme Court orders.”
He said the LG was there to inform them that the road widening was delayed because trees were not being cut. “The surprising thing is that Delhi’s chief secretary and the LG say they did not know that permission was required. That is why trees were cut without permission. It is surprising that such a thing has happened in the national capital,” he said. “I request the LG to hold a press conference and explain to the people how it is possible that he did not know that permission is required,” he said.