Senior AAP leader and Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Sunday raised questions about the involvement of Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena in the illegal felling of trees in Satbari while citing affidavits submitted by officers before the Supreme Court.

He alleged that Saxena and senior officials were either complicit in or willfully ignorant of the illegal actions and asserted that the trees were felled with the connivance of all involved, with officers now lying to protect the LG. “For the last few days, the Supreme Court has been hearing a case regarding illegal felling of about 1100 trees in Satbari Ridge area of Delhi without permission. There was a lot of confusion about this issue,” he said.

Bharadwaj added, “I and my party (AAP) were constantly saying that LG Vinai Saxena himself had visited the tree felling site on February 3. When the court asked about this, it was misled by saying that LG Saab had not gone there, he had gone to visit the hospital. After that, the Supreme Court asked all the officers to file their affidavits. Some officers have filed affidavits but some officers are still considering it.”

He claimed that Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Sunil Bakshi, says in his affidavit that LG reached the place and the direction to expedite the work were given by LG is written in it. “DDA Member Engineering Ashok Kumar Gupta has also written in his affidavit that on February 3, LG, after completing his visit to the Central Armed Police Force Institute of Medical Science (CAPFIMS) Hospital, had a stop-over on CAPFIMS road where he reviewed the progress of the road work,” Delhi Minister added.

“LG Saab was hiding this till date the fact that he went to this location, he went to the road ROW 1100 trees were to be cut to widen it, and he gave the direction that this road should be widened immediately,” he said.

The senior AAP leader further added that the Supreme Court said that it is certain that DDA got these trees cut and the DDA contractor cut these trees. The Supreme Court’s question makes a mockery of Delhi’s bureaucracy and LG’s office. The Supreme Court asks that when LG is present with all the senior officers including the Chief Secretary, PWD Secretary, Divisional Commissioner, Principal Secretary (Environment & Forests), Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, and DDA Engineering Member, did anyone tell LG Saab that two different types of permissions are required for cutting trees, first permission from the tree officer and the second from the Supreme Court. Did no one tell LG Saab about this?

“LG Vinai Saxena has been the LG of Delhi for more than 2 years. LG Saab writes 10-10 page letters to CM Sahab on petty matters. Does Vinai Saxena ji not know till now that permission from the tree officer and Supreme Court is required to cut trees in the forest? How is this possible? What kind of LG is he who does not know this? Everyone in Delhi knows that the permission of a tree officer is required to cut trees,” he affirmed.

Reading the Chief Secretary’s affidavit, Saurabh Bharadwaj stated that the Chief Secretary mentions that to the best of the knowledge of Chief Secretary, none of the officers present at the site brought to the notice of the LG that the orders passed by the Supreme Court and/or the requirement of obtaining permission of the Tree Officer.