The Supreme Court condemned the Vice-Chairman of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Subhashish Panda, of not having the necessary knowledge regarding clearing of 642 trees in the Delhi ridge.
The court held that it now has no confidence in the DDA. Panda’s affidavit revealed that the trees were cut in Satbari within ten days in February, before the Supreme Court stopped DDA from cutting trees against road widening. The court emphasized on the need for rehabilitation of the land and the judge appeared to be sceptical about the DDA.
Panda responded with the affidavit after a contempt notice was issued by the court which was filed after a petition was alleging unauthorized tree cutting. The sworn statement ensured planting of trees, fencing the site, and prohibiting further widening of the road.
The court advised to think on having an independent agency like the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) for tree planting and maintenance. Panda pleaded ignorance about the tree cutting because she was on leave and undergoing surgical recovery.
The affidavit noted that tree felling started on February 16, 2024, after receiving the approval in principle to cut 422 trees that are not on the forest land. The DDA was ordered to replace trees and pay the compensatory charges of afforestation. The assigned contractor did the felling of the trees.
On March 18, panda learned about the issue, and a probe showed how many trees were felled. It was claimed that correspondence was sent to the involved engineers explaining the misunderstanding of approvals.The court will scrutinize the affidavit and may consider getting an external agency to restore the trees.
