New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal on Monday sought response of the Delhi government on a plea alleging that illegal felling of trees was being carried out at the Andheria mod-Mahipalpur road here in violation of its orders.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar also sought reply of the Public Works Department (PWD), the contractor who is undertaking work of expanding the road as well as other authorities on the application which also alleged that trees at the site were being damaged due to the rubble being dumped around their roots.
The application, filed by advocate Parul Gupta on behalf of petitioner Sonya Ghosh, also alleged that "since the PWD has been restrained from felling of trees without permission of the Forest Department, it has resorted to choke the trees by placing `malba` (rubble) around them...".
The petition alleged that despite the injunction orders of the tribunal being in force, trees continued to be cut down at the site.
The petitioner has submitted photographs taken on various days of the alleged "illegal activity" and claimed that it was going on "in the presence of police who despite being aware of the violation have shown their unwillingness to initiate any action".
In her petition, Ghosh has sought initiation of action as well as imposition of penalty against the PWD for alleged violation of the NGT`s orders.
During the proceedings, the counsel for the PWD contended that since the NGT`s March 2013 order restraining cutting of trees at the site without prior permission, there has been only one instance of a tree being felled, for which the contractor has taken responsibility and necessary action has been taken.
