SC to examine reasons behind DDA’s felling of 1,670 trees in Delhi Ridge area
The court was hearing a contempt petition filed by Delhi resident Bindu Kapurea, which challenges the “illegal” action
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to examine the reasons behind the Delhi Development Authority’s (DDA) decision to fell 1,670 trees in the Delhi Ridge area for a road construction project.
The court was hearing a contempt petition filed by Delhi resident Bindu Kapurea, which challenges the “illegal” action, alleges that the tree felling was done to benefit private farmhouses in Satbari near Chhattarpur.
A bench headed by Justice Surya Kant said that its primary focus would be to ensure that the damage caused to the ridge is adequately compensated. The bench, which also included Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, agreed to look into the petitioner’s allegation and directed, “Keep the list of affluent people owning those farmhouses ready with you.”
Kapurea approached the court in May this year to highlight a serious lapse by the DDA in felling trees without obtaining mandatory approval from the top court.
Kapurea’s petition said that by the time the DDA’s application for tree felling was heard in March, the trees had already been cut, a fact not disclosed to the court.
While a road already existed through the ridge, the DDA had sought permission to widen it to provide access to a multi-specialty hospital for central armed paramilitary forces in Chhattarpur, as well as other institutions like SAARC University and various government buildings.
The bench, headed by Justice Kant, took up the matter for the first time since it was last heard by a bench led by former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud in November. After being confronted with a report revealing that 1,670 trees had been illegally felled, the bench said, “Admittedly, trees have been felled. Our first concern is to ensure that whatever damage has been done should be compensated. This will be our top priority.”
The contempt petition, represented by senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan and advocate Manan Verma, pointed out that, following the court’s orders, a physical inspection of the site was conducted and tree replantation had taken place. However, Sankaranarayanan argued that the issue of contempt should be addressed, as the encroachment on the ridge occurred without court approval.
“The road cuts into the ridge and forest area, and this is being done to protect some affluent farmhouses,” he said.
The bench responded, “We will examine what should be done regarding contempt. It is a matter between the contemnor and the court.”
The bench directed the petitioner to have photographs showing the replantation and a site plan of the area ready for the next hearing.
For the DDA, senior advocate Vikas Singh said that the agency plans to replant more trees than those that were felled in order to compensate for the damage to the green cover. He reminded the bench that a balance must be struck between protecting the environment and the need to establish a multi-specialty hospital.
The bench asked the petitioner, “What irreversible harm will be caused if this medical institute is provided access to this road? Please assist us in this regard at the next hearing.”
Previously, the court had issued several directions to determine whether top DDA officials were aware of the tree felling before seeking court approval. The bench had also asked Delhi lieutenant governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena, in his capacity as DDA chairman, to clarify whether he was informed of the lapse.
The LG said that he first learned about the tree felling in June, and that he had not been informed during his site visit in February that prior court permission was needed. He also added that during his visit on February 3, he interacted with officials as part of an official visit to the multi-specialty hospital.
Also Read: SC gives LG till next week to act on Ridge tree-felling
The DDA had conducted an internal inquiry and identified executive engineer Manoj Kumar Yadav for instructing the contractor to fell the trees on his own, without obtaining permission from the ridge management board, the Delhi government, or the ministry of environment, forest, and climate change (MoEFCC).
The DDA also blamed assistant engineers Pawan Kumar and Ayush Saraswat for acts of omission.
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