Order for Cutting of 17000 trees in Capital City: Whom to be blamed, State or Centre?

Can Delhi afford to cut down 17000 trees? Particularly when the city capital is chocking on its own toxic fumes?

The Delhi high court on Monday stayed till July 4 the cutting of more than 16,000 trees for redeveloping residential facilities for central government employees in south Delhi, questioning the Centre’s decision to issue the order.

“Can Delhi afford to cut of trees for the development of roads and buildings?” the court asked NBCC (India) Ltd, the state-owned real estate company which is redeveloping the seven colonies.

The high court will hear the matter next on July 4 and the National Green Tribunal will hear the case on July 2.

So, who is responsible for the cutting down of the trees? The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) or the Central Government?

This blame game has once again the leaders in front of mics and accusing the other of such rash decisions.

The AAP’s spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj said the environment clearance for the project was given by the Union environment and forest ministry in November 2017 and the final approval was given by Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal.

While the AAP claimed that the decision to chop off the trees for the redevelopment of residential colonies in South Delhi was given by the central government, Union minister Harsh Vardhan alleged that the AAP government was responsible for granting the permission to fell trees in non-forest areas.

Vardhan said according to the information he had, the area where the trees were to be felled was a “non-forest area” and the Forest department of the Government of India had nothing to do with it.

“For the non-forest areas, whatever local permissions are to be given, is given by the Delhi government. It is directly under the jurisdiction of the Delhi government and not governed by us,” the Union environment and forest minister said.

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The AAP countered the charge, saying the permission for the felling of trees was granted by Vardhan’s ministry in November last year.

Bharadwaj also retweeted a letter which claimed that environment minister Imran Hussain rejected the proposal as the number of trees to be cut was “too large” and the minister had requested for an alternative proposal.

Delhi’s environment minister @ImranHussaain claims that he always objected to cutting down of such large number – 16,500 – of trees. Here’s the proof shared by @Saurabh_MLAgk @AamAadmiParty pic.twitter.com/Gi0Vu3L0Lg

— Mayank Aggarwal (@journomayank) June 24, 2018

He also claimed that the LG Anil Baijal was the “competent authority” for issuing permission for felling trees at a large scale.

Officials from Baijal’s office said that proposals do not reach the L-G for approval unless it is cleared and recommended by the ministers, in this case, the environment minister.

BJP blamed the AAP government for politicising the issue, saying its own minister gave the approval for tree felling.

Congress, on the other hand, claimed that both the Union government and AAP-led government in Delhi were responsible for passing the order to cut the trees.

Congress leader Ajay Maken tweeted a video in which he claimed that both LG Baijal and AAP government were responsible for passing “the Death Warrant”.

MLA from Delhi’s Karawal Nagar constituency Kapil Mishra cited the 1994 Delhi Preservation of Trees Act to claim that any order to cut trees in Delhi comes under the jurisdiction of the Delhi government.