The Centre on Saturday held the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi responsible for granting permission to fell over 14,000 trees in non-forest areas, PTI reported. The Delhi government had on Friday said that the Centre had granted permission to fell 17,000 trees in the national capital in pursuance of a redevelopment plan.

“For the non-forest areas, whatever local permissions are to be given, are given by the Delhi government,” Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Harsh Vardhan said on Saturday. “It is directly under the jurisdiction of the Delhi government and not governed by us.”

Countering the charge, AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj tweeted that the permission for the felling of trees was granted by Vardhan’s ministry in November.

He also said that Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal was the “competent authority” to issue permission to fell trees on a large scale. “Harsh Vardhan has chosen his words very carefully, but he refuses to say that the lieutenant governor is the competent local authority for giving the necessary permission in this case,” Bhardwaj told PTI.

“We have no objection to the Centre’s project,” the AAP spokesperson added. “But the felling of such a large number of trees is not good for the environment at a time when there is a looming threat of pollution.” http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/hc-refuses-to-stay-felling-of-trees-for-redevelopment-plan/article24235772.ece

The areas where the trees are to be felled are Nauroji Nagar, Netaji Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, Mohammadpur, Sriniwaspuri, Kasturba Nagar and Thyagaraj Nagar.

“As per our information, no environmental assessment has been carried out,” Bharadwaj said. “The Delhi government has also not been consulted as to how the transport, water and sewer requirements will be met under the redevelopment plan.”