AAP, BJP spar over ‘illegal felling of trees’ in Satbari

New Delhi: The issue of the alleged illegal felling of 1,100 trees in south Delhi's Satbari by DDA earlier this year was also raised in the Delhi assembly, with AAP legislators blaming the LG for cutting them without permission, while the BJP accused Delhi govt of being complicit in it.Initiating a debate in the house, AAP legislators said that the trees were cut on the verbal order of the LG and the required permission was not taken from Supreme Court. AAP MLAs also alleged that the alignment of a road was deliberately changed to favour some farmhouses and, in turn, facilitating the axing of 1,100 fully-grown trees.Speaking on the issue, Delhi urban development minister Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that the permission to cut trees was sought from Supreme Court only after they were felled. He also alleged that the trees were felled on "verbal instructions" of the LG, even though junior officers of Delhi Development Authority (DDA) were suspended for it. The trees were not felled to widen the road but to save the land of farmhouses in the area, Bharadwaj said.Earlier, leader of the opposition in the assembly, Vijender Gupta, alleged that a number of trees were felled to build the official residence of the chief minister. He alleged that the compulsory plantation of saplings was also not done despite the NGT order. On the issue of felling of trees in the ridge area, Gupta said the file was processed by environment minister Gopal Rai. He alleged that it was forwarded to LG VK Saxena by CM Arvind Kejriwal with a note that the former was bound by the aid and advice of the council of ministers on the issue."The trees were felled to widen the approach road for the Central Armed Police Forces Institute of Medical Sciences (CAPFIMS).... The permission to cut trees was granted by former CM Kejriwal," Gupta claimed, adding that AAP was wrongly blaming the LG. Bharadwaj, however, questioned Gupta on why this information was not shared with Supreme Court.Replying to the debate, Rai claimed that Delhi govt had not granted permission to cut trees in the ridge area. "To cut trees in the ridge area, permission of Supreme Court was required, which was not taken," he said. The Delhi environment minister added that the file Gupta was referring to was related to 422 trees, which were outside the ridge area. "Even to cut those trees, the permission of the tree officer was required. But it was not taken either," Rai said.He said AAP govt had planted crores of trees and increased the city's green cover from 20% to 23%, thereby bringing down pollution level by 34.6 per cent in the last 10 years.