Supreme Court Orders Delhi Govt to Increase Green Cover Amid Rising Heat

The Supreme Court has instructed the Delhi government and local agencies to meet and discuss strategies for increasing the city's green cover, citing the heat caused by deforestation. The court emphasized the importance of monitoring illegal tree cutting and demanded an explanation from the DDA regarding recent tree felling activities.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Delhi government and civic agencies to convene a meeting to discuss comprehensive measures aimed at enhancing the city's green cover, highlighting the increasing heat due to deforestation.

A vacation bench of Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan expressed their expectations for the forest department and tree authority to monitor illegal activities related to tree felling in Delhi.

'Considering the illegal and high-ended acts of the felling of trees, we issue notice to the Govt of Delhi, Forest and Environment Department, Tree Authority, MCD, and DDA,' the bench stated.

The Secretary of the Forest Department has been tasked with convening a meeting involving all relevant officers and the expert committee to discuss comprehensive measures to enhance Delhi's green cover,' the bench added.

The court pointed out that the significant acts of tree felling in the capital cannot be ignored, and sought a clear statement from the DDA vice chairman on the unauthorized tree cutting in the Ridge area allegedly directed by the lieutenant governor.

The apex court had earlier issued a criminal contempt notice against DDA Vice Chairman Subhasish Panda for permitting large-scale tree felling in the Satbari area to build a road from Chhattarpur to South Asian University.

The court also condemned Panda for filing a 'misleading' affidavit and presenting incorrect information before the court, directing the plantation of 100 trees for each tree felled by the DDA.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)