"Improper": Forest Secretary On Delhi Ministers' Panel Over Tree Cutting

In an act of defiance, the principal secretary of Environment and Forest department has questioned the formation of a fact finding committee of the Delhi government ministers over cutting of trees in Ridge area, claiming it violated rules and could lead to contempt of the Supreme Court.

The committee comprising ministers Atishi, Saurabh Bharadwaj and Imran Hussain was formed as per decision taken in a meeting of the Delhi government ministers on June 29 to look into cutting of 1,100 trees in the Southern Ridge area by the DDA allegedly without required permission.

The Supreme Court has asked the Delhi government why the officers of Environment and Forest department did not protect the forest when they had complete knowledge of the illegal felling of the trees in the Ridge area, a government source said.

"Environment Minister Gopal Rai asked for the report on tree felling but Principal Secretary AK Singh has not submitted the report to his minister," he said.

In a communication copies of which were marked to Delhi LG VK Saxena and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who is currently under judicial custody, Principal Secretary (E&F) AK Singh on Monday said the committee was formed in the matter which was pending before the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court has already constituted an independent fact committee consisting of officers of the Forest Survey of India and other impartial experts which has already furnished its preliminary report before the top court, he said.

"Therefore, constituting another committee (in the name of fact finding) when the top court is already seized of the matter, is not only improper but may also invite contempt of the court for interfering in the judicial process of fact finding in this matter," said the communication from the officer.

Further, it claimed that the committee was formed in violation of the relevant provisions of the Transaction of Business of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Roles (ToBR) 1993.

The formation of the committee is a departure from the general practice and procedure of the Delhi government as the principal secretary (Environment & Forest) is being asked to report to Urban Development minister (Bharadwaj) whereas there are no orders by the chief minister to that effect, it said further.

It may also be noted that the Environment and Forest minister is not even a member of the committee, Singh said.

"The committee is nothing but a 'Group of Ministers' which has not been constituted by the Cabinet (Council of Ministers)...... The said fact-finding committee has been constituted under the signatures of Saurabh Bharadwaj, UD minister, without any due authority or sanction from the Council of Ministers."

The constitution of the fact-finding committee to inquire into the cutting of trees in Southern Ridge by the DDA, without obtaining approval of the Council of Ministers, "grossly violates" the provisions of ToBR, 1993, Singh claimed.

"Why is AK Singh running away from accountability?" questioned the Delhi government source and added who has asked him not to disclose the facts.

He further said why was it that the Lt Governor has not directed the officers to appear before the fact finding committee of the ministers.

It shows there is "pressure" on the officers to not appear before the Committee. Some higher ups do not want the truth to come out and someone at the top is scared of getting exposed, he said.

The AAP government ministers have claimed that the e-mails of the DDA show that it was done on the LG's instruction.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)