Senior AAP leader and Delhi Cabinet Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Sunday raised questions over the alleged involvement of Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena in the illegal felling of trees in the city’s Satbari area.
Bharadwaj, while citing affidavits submitted by Delhi’s officers before the Supreme Court, suggested that the L-G and senior officials were either complicit in the act or willfully ignored the alleged illegal actions.
He asserted that the trees were felled with the connivance of all involved, and added that officers are now lying to protect the L-G.
Bharadwaj further said: “For the last few days, the SC has been hearing a case regarding illegal felling of about 1100 trees in Satbari Ridge area of Delhi without permission. There was a lot of confusion about this issue.”
“I and my party (AAP) were constantly saying that L-G himself had visited the tree felling site on 3 February 2024. When the court asked about this, it was misled by saying that L-G had not gone there; he had gone to visit the hospital. After that, the Supreme Court asked all the officers to file their affidavits. Some officers have filed affidavits but some officers are still considering it,” he claimed.
Bharadwaj, who was addressing a press conference here, stated that Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, in his affidavit, said that L-G reached the place and the direction to expedite the work was given by L-G in writing.
He further said the DDA Member Engineering has also written in his affidavit that on 03/02/2024, L-G, after completing his visit to the Central Armed Police Force Institute of Medical Science (CAPFIMS) Hospital, had a stop-over on CAPFIMS Road where he reviewed the progress of the road work.
The senior AAP leader further added that the top court has said that it is certain DDA got these trees cut and its contractor fell them.
The AAP leader alleged that L-G was visiting there to inform them that the road widening work was getting delayed due to trees not being cut.
He further hit out at L-G and Chief Secretary alleging that they are trying to misguide the people of Delhi and the apex court by mentioning they were not aware of requirement of a permission of felling trees, and requested L-G to hold a press conference and answer the people of the city about how it is possible that he did not know that permission from the tree officer is needed to cut trees.
The minister claimed that all the officers know that permission is required to cut trees and they also know that they did not have the same, but still no senior IAS officer had the courage to tell their L-G that trees cannot be cut without permission.
Taking a dig at the city’s bureaucracy, Bharadwaj said: “From this, you can understand the bureaucracy of Delhi; what is their condition in front of the L-G.”