The Supreme Court recently requested an affidavit from Saxena, in his role as the Chairperson of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), regarding allegations of illegal tree felling to facilitate the approach road for the CAPFIMS project.
NEW DELHI: Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena informed the Supreme Court today (23rd Oct) that he was unaware of the requirement to seek the court’s permission for the felling of trees on the proposed road within the Ridge area, intended to improve access to the under-construction Central Armed Police Forces Institute of Medical Sciences (CAPFIMS).
He mentioned that this issue was not brought to his attention during his site visit on February 3.
The Supreme Court recently requested an affidavit from Saxena, in his role as the Chairperson of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), regarding allegations of illegal tree felling to facilitate the approach road for the CAPFIMS project.
In the affidavit filed on Tuesday(22nd Oct), Saxena clarified that his visit was primarily to review the progress of the project, considering its importance, necessity, and the financial resources already committed to it.
LG said
“On the day of my visit, February 3, 2024, upon arriving at the CAPFIMS Hospital site and following a visual inspection, I instructed the officers and officials present to accelerate the work on the project, which is crucial for medical facilities for the paramilitary forces. This project has seen an investment of approximately Rs 2200 crore from public funds.”
Saxena said,
“While returning from the CAPFIMS Hospital, I stopped at the road-widening site. At that location, no one informed me about the legal requirement to obtain permission from this Hon’ble Court for tree felling. When I inquired about the progress of the work, I was told that permission for tree felling and translocation was still pending with the relevant authority, which is why tree felling had not yet begun. I pointed out that for trees covered under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act (DPTA), 1994, the Forest Department had already obtained approval from the Minister of Environment and Forests and the Hon’ble Chief Minister, with my concurrence. I advised that the concerned officials should expedite communication of this approval to the DDA.”
“In any case, my directive was by no means intended to bypass the law. I also did not give any instructions to avoid obtaining necessary permissions as required by law. My visit on February 3, 2024, where I urged the completion of the project, indicated that all necessary actions should be expedited due to the project’s critical nature.”
LG said
“My direction to expedite the project was based on a genuine belief that only permission from the Department of Forest and Wildlife of the Government of NCT of Delhi was needed, which I had approved.”
“I was not made aware that additional permission from this Hon’ble Court was necessary. I had been informed of various obstacles in the road alignment that required widening. Accordingly, I instructed the concerned departments to consolidate all court cases related to land acquisition for the road widening, prioritize the relocation of BSES electric poles, overhead and underground cables, as well as PNG gas pipelines from IGL that were hindering the widening process, and to remove the excess excavated earth stored at the CAPFIMS hospital site for filling low-lying areas nearby.”
“I first learned that the Supreme Court’s permission for tree felling was required on March 21, 2024, when the DDA submitted a proposal for forming a Committee of Experts in accordance with the Court’s directions, where an application had been filed by the DDA seeking permission to fell trees for the project. The commencement of tree felling around February 16, 2024, came to my attention through a letter from the Vice Chairman of the DDA on June 10, 2024, following the Court’s orders.”
“The affidavit identified the officials who had instructed the tree felling, stating that they acted on their own authority. A review of the events suggests that the field officials of the DDA may have mistakenly interpreted the approvals from the Government of NCT of Delhi under the DPTA, 1994, as permission to proceed with tree felling. Although this was an error, their actions were made in good faith for the public good.”
During the hearing on October 16 regarding the initiation of contempt proceedings against DDA Vice Chairman Subhashish Panda, the Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud requested me to file a personal affidavit disclosing all details of my visit to the CAPFIMS project site.
Additionally, Saxena said
“My affidavit mentioned that during the period from February 16 to February 26, 2024, when tree felling began, Panda was undergoing surgery and medical treatment at AIIMS, New Delhi. He was also not present at the site during my visit on February 3, 2024, due to other official commitments. Therefore, I concluded that there was no act of omission or commission on the part of the Vice Chairman of the DDA, and he should be relieved from the contempt proceedings.”
READ PREVIOUS REPORTS ON DELHI LG SAXENA
READ PREVIOUS REPORTS ON TREE FELLING
