In a revelation, Delhi Urban Development Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj presented evidence implicating Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena in ordering the felling of 1,100 trees, despite the Forest and Delhi Development Authority (DDA) departments knowing there was no permission for such action. The Delhi Urban Development Minister cited an email from a DDA officer that contradicted LG Vinai Saxena’s claims and confirmed his involvement in the tree-cutting. The email also refuted statements made in the Supreme Court about the LG’s whereabouts, showing he visited the Satbari forest area on February 3, 2024. Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj pointed out that the DDA is lying in the Supreme Court regarding the incident.
Delhi Urban Development Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj presented evidence regarding the illegal felling of 1,100 trees in Delhi’s Satbari forest area, in a press conference. He presented copies of the email sent by the DDA department. Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj said that after reading this email, it becomes clear at first sight that on 03.02.2024, the LG visited the Satbari forest area and the order to cut these 1,100 trees illegally was given by Delhi LG Vinai Saxena.
The Delhi Urban Development Minister said, “Yesterday, in the Supreme Court a bench of two judges heard the contempt petition regarding the illegal felling of these 1100 trees. The trees which have already been cut illegally, the DDA tried to fool the Supreme Court that they’re court’s permission to fell those trees. The Supreme Court rejected the permission. During this hearing, the lawyers of the Central Government once again lied before the highest court of this country. The DDA, which comes under the Central Government, had to lie again before the Supreme Court to hide one lie, but now the DDA department has got trapped in its web of lies.”
“The first lie told by the Central Government’s DDA was that the Law Officer was not aware that the Supreme Court’s permission is required for cutting trees, and the second lie told was that the place visited by the Lieutenant Governor on 3 February was some other place,” he added.
Verifying his statement, Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, while reading the email sent by a senior officer of the DDA department to its Chief Engineer and other officers, said that in it, this DDA officer is clearly saying that on 03.02.2024, the Lieutenant Governor visited this place (Satbari forest area) and he ordered to cut these 1,100 trees. After this order, the department illegally cut these 1,100 trees without obtaining permission from the Supreme Court.
The Urban Development Minister mentioned that after reading these emails sent by the DDA department official, it is clearly understood that the DDA department and the Forest Department knew very well that it is necessary to get permission from the Supreme Court to cut trees. Not a single tree can be cut without the permission of the Supreme Court. Even the Forest Department officials had warned the DDA department that cutting trees without permission is illegal. But only on the verbal order of the Lieutenant Governor, keeping all the rules and laws at bay, these 1,100 fully grown trees were cut illegally without the permission of the Supreme Court.
He further added, “If any RWA gets the trees pruned in its area, the DCF South office imposes a fine of ₹50,000 on the RWA. I know about this because this is my assembly constituency. Here 1,100 big trees were cut illegally in the knowledge of all the officials and the DDA department that cutting trees is not permitted, yet the trees were cut on the verbal orders given by LG Vinai Saxena and no action has been taken against anyone, all the officials, all the departments are sitting silent.”
“Everyone is involved in this whole matter. The Forest Department, the DDA Department and the Lieutenant Governor are all involved in this illegal act and together they are working to deceive the greenery of Delhi, the people of Delhi and the country’s highest court, the Supreme Court,” Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj concluded.
