The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has slammed the BJP for its silence on the illegal felling of 1,100 trees in Delhi’s Chhatarpur Ridge, the ‘Delhi Green Lung’. Senior AAP leader Jasmine Shah has pointed out that the BJP is turning a blind eye to this environmental crime, despite its frequent posturing on pollution issues. The Senior AAP Leader revealed that the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), under the Lieutenant Governor’s (LG) orders, secretly felled these trees without the Supreme Court’s permission, and questioned if the BJP is complicit in this act. With the matter now in the Supreme Court and the Delhi government’s Fact Finding Committee demanding answers, the AAP is pressing the BJP to explain why the forest department’s files are being withheld and whether political pressure is at play.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday at the party headquarters, Senior AAP Leader Jasmine Shah stated, “Pollution is a big problem for the entire North India, including Delhi-NCR. The AAP government under the leadership of CM Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi has worked on a war footing against pollution for the last 9 years. The concrete steps taken by the Delhi government against pollution have not been taken in any other state of the country. As a result of many concrete steps taken by the Kejriwal government in the last 9 years, pollution in Delhi has reduced by 30%, he said.
Jasmine Shah continued, “Under the leadership of CM Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi is the first state in the country to close all its coal-powered thermal power plants. No state in the country has taken such a tough decision. Due to the availability of 24-hour electricity, diesel generator sets are not seen anywhere in Delhi. A ban was imposed on polluting fuels in all the industrial areas of Delhi and clean fuels like PNG were promoted. Today, Delhi is the only state in the country where industries run on 100% clean fuel, that is, PNG.”
“CM Arvind Kejriwal has given Delhi the best electric vehicle policy in the country. Due to this, today the number of electric buses in Delhi is the highest in the country. Apart from all this, the AAP government has increased the green cover of Delhi. Crores of plants have been planted in Delhi in the last 9 years. The Delhi government has planted crores of plants so far. Due to this, Delhi’s green cover has increased from 20% to 23% from 2013 to 2021,” he added.
The Senior AAP Leader continued that on one hand, the Kejriwal government planted crores of trees in the last 9 years to reduce pollution, closed coal-powered thermal power plants, provided 24-hour electricity to Delhiites and brought the best Electric Vehicle (EV) policy in the country. On the other hand, the BJP is cutting trees in cities and mountains in the name of development. On the other hand, the BJP is cutting trees in cities and mountains in the name of development.
“A few days ago, an incident of illegal felling of 1100 trees came to light in the Chhatarpur Ridge area of Delhi. This ridge area is the most sensitive area of Delhi, it is called the lungs of Delhi. Therefore, its conservation is the responsibility of all of us. It is mandatory to take permission from the Supreme Court to cut even a single tree from the Ridge of Delhi. Despite this, the central government agency DDA cut down 1100 trees overnight in February 2024 without the permission of the Supreme Court. This is a crime against nature. If a private organization does this, it is punished, but this is the first time in the history of Delhi that a government agency has secretly cut down such a large number of trees,” he stated.
Jasmine Shah said that this matter came to light after a petitioner filed a petition in the Supreme Court. When the Supreme Court questioned the DDA as to on whose orders these trees were cut, it was revealed that the LG of Delhi himself had gone there at that time and all these trees were cut on his orders. The email of DDA officials shows that LG visited the Ridge area and gave verbal orders to cut 1100 trees. This matter is still pending in the Supreme Court. The court has reprimanded the DDA officers for this incident. The Supreme Court has admitted that the DDA officers are trying to hide the truth of the matter. During the hearing, the court clearly said that the behavior of the officers seems that they are trying to save DDA Chairman LG V.K. Saxena.
The senior AAP leader stated, “Delhiites are very angry with this incident. They are asking on whose orders such a large number of trees were cut in the Ridge area of Delhi? Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai took cognizance of the matter and held a meeting with the officials of the Forest Department. The Environment Minister asked the officers how such a big incident happened under the supervision of the forest department? The DDA is a central government agency but why did the forest department officers not raise their voice against this illegal act?”
Jasmine Shah further added that the Delhi government has formed a Fact Finding Committee of three ministers, so that it can be known on whose orders and under whose pressure these trees were cut. Today when people from the Supreme Court to the whole country are speaking on this incident and raising questions on it, then the BJP and the LG of Delhi are completely silent on this matter. The BJP, which has not done anything against pollution in its states, also always sheds crocodile tears on the pollution of Delhi. It is surprising here that the BJP has become silent on the incident of cutting 1100 trees in the Ridge area of Delhi. Delhiites are asking the BJP that why do they not care about the lives of the people of Delhi?
“The BJP has always played politics on the issue of pollution in Delhi. But when the DDA, which comes under the Central Government, cut down 1100 trees from the Ridge area, why is it silent now? It is clear from the emails of the DDA officials that the LG had visited the Ridge area. Therefore, their role in this crime is clearly visible. In such a situation, the BJP should tell whether it had pressurized the LG to get the trees cut? DDA officials are avoiding answering the Supreme Court, whose pressure is on them? When Environment Minister Gopal Rai asked for a report on the matter from the Forest Department officials, those officials also became silent and started trying to suppress the whole truth,” said the AAP leader.
“The Fact Finding Committee of Delhi, formed a week ago, is continuously sending notices to the Forest Department officials and asking for the report, but the officers are not bringing the file. Because all these officers come under the LG. Therefore, there is definitely pressure from above on them. The BJP should tell who is pressurizing the officials of the Forest Department of the Delhi Government? Perhaps they are aware that if they bring the file, the role of BJP and LG in this matter will come out. If BJP does not answer these questions within 24 hours then it will become clear that this entire conspiracy has been hatched by BJP and it is the BJP which is putting pressure on these officers,” Jasmine Shah concluded.