New Delhi: Delhi Environment and Forest Minister Gopal Rai on Saturday said the government has formed a three-minister inquiry committee into the felling of 1,100 trees in the Ridge area allegedly without permission.
The decision was taken at a meeting of ministers held at the Secretariat in view of the failure to submit the status report on felling of trees in Satbari (Chhatarpur), situated on the ridge, Rai said in a statement.
The committee comprising Ministers Atishi, Saurabh Bharadwaj and Imran Hussain will submit its report to the Forest Minister, the statement said.
The report will then be submitted to the Supreme Court that is hearing the matter, before the next date of hearing, Rai said.
He charged that the 1,100 trees were felled illegally and without proper permission by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).
"Emails from DDA engineers reveal that the trees were felled on verbal instructions from the lieutenant governor of Delhi," Rai said.
He said that in a meeting with the forest department on June 26, officials told him that the DDA had received notices about the matter in March, but he responded.
Rai said he directed the forest department to submit a detailed report on the matter but it failed to do so. After a written communication to submit the report on June 28, officials again failed to comply, the minister said.
"In such a circumstance, the meeting of ministers decided to form a three-member committee to give a detailed report on the felling of trees," he said.
Rai added that the Kejriwal government is committed to protecting and increasing the green cover of Delhi.
Before the 2020 Assembly elections, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had issued 10 guarantees, including plantation of two crore rupees in five years, he recalled.
The Forest Minister said that with the cooperation of various agencies, the Delhi government has already managed to plant two crore crops in four years. Over the next year, the government has decided to plant another 64 lakh saplings.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Delhi government and civic agencies to convene a meeting and discuss comprehensive measures to improve the city's green cover, while observing that people are feeling the heat as tree cover is lost.
Observing that the brazen acts of felling of trees in the national capital cannot be lightly ignored, the top court on Monday sought a "clear" statement from the DDA vice-chairman on whether the trees in the Ridge area were felled by order of the lieutenant. governor without his permission.
The decision was taken at a meeting of ministers held at the Secretariat in view of the failure to submit the status report on felling of trees in Satbari (Chhatarpur), situated on the ridge, Rai said in a statement.
The committee comprising Ministers Atishi, Saurabh Bharadwaj and Imran Hussain will submit its report to the Forest Minister, the statement said.
The report will then be submitted to the Supreme Court that is hearing the matter, before the next date of hearing, Rai said.
He charged that the 1,100 trees were felled illegally and without proper permission by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).
"Emails from DDA engineers reveal that the trees were felled on verbal instructions from the lieutenant governor of Delhi," Rai said.
He said that in a meeting with the forest department on June 26, officials told him that the DDA had received notices about the matter in March, but he responded.
Rai said he directed the forest department to submit a detailed report on the matter but it failed to do so. After a written communication to submit the report on June 28, officials again failed to comply, the minister said.
"In such a circumstance, the meeting of ministers decided to form a three-member committee to give a detailed report on the felling of trees," he said.
Rai added that the Kejriwal government is committed to protecting and increasing the green cover of Delhi.
Before the 2020 Assembly elections, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had issued 10 guarantees, including plantation of two crore rupees in five years, he recalled.
The Forest Minister said that with the cooperation of various agencies, the Delhi government has already managed to plant two crore crops in four years. Over the next year, the government has decided to plant another 64 lakh saplings.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Delhi government and civic agencies to convene a meeting and discuss comprehensive measures to improve the city's green cover, while observing that people are feeling the heat as tree cover is lost.
Observing that the brazen acts of felling of trees in the national capital cannot be lightly ignored, the top court on Monday sought a "clear" statement from the DDA vice-chairman on whether the trees in the Ridge area were felled by order of the lieutenant. governor without his permission.
