No Trees To Be Cut In Delhi For Redevelopment Till July 2, Orders High Court

The Delhi high court on Monday stayed till July 2 the cutting of more than 16,000 trees for redeveloping residential facilities for central government employees in south Delhi, questioning the Centre’s decision to issue the order.

“Can Delhi afford to cut of trees for the development of roads and buildings?” the court asked NBCC (India) Ltd, the state-owned real estate company which is redeveloping the seven colonies.

The high court will hear the matter next on July 4 and the National Green Tribunal will hear the case on July 2.

The permission to cut the trees led to a political blame game between the Aam Aadmi Party and the Union government as thousands of people in Sarojini Nagar on Sunday protested the Centre’s decision to cut the trees.

The AAP’s spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj said the environment clearance for the project was given by the Union environment and forest ministry in November 2017 and the final approval was given by Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal.

The state environment and forest minister Imran Hussain, he said, raised objections and asked the forest department to check whether the number of trees to be felled could be reduced and some could be translocated,