DDA underreport tree felling, FSI finds over 1,600 trees cut

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) removed 1,670 trees for a road widening project in the Delhi Ridge area, far exceeding local authorities’ estimates, according to the Forest Survey of India (FSI), which informed the Supreme Court. The Delhi forest department reported 745 trees felled, while the DDA cited 642, numbers now shown to be lower than FSI’s findings.

The FSI report submitted to Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud in a contempt case against DDA Vice Chairman Subhasish Panda revealed that 1,136 trees were cut within the recorded forest area (RFA) and 534 outside it. "These differences indicate that the proposed and actual number of trees felled were grossly underreported," the report stated. Similarly, the reported number of trees felled is less than half of the FSI estimate.

The DDA and Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena, in separate affidavits, claimed that 642 trees were removed to expand access to the Central Armed Police Forces Institute of Medical Sciences (CAPFIMS) in Chhatarpur. However, FSI's survey, conducted with high-resolution satellite imagery, Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS), and field inspections, presented a far higher count. Anoop Singh, FSI Director General, declined detailed comments, saying, "Please refer to the report. It has all the information."

A senior Delhi forest department official suggested errors might have occurred due to an incorrect map submitted by the DDA on the Environment Ministry's Parivesh portal. "The map includes excess area, and FSI based its report on this map. The official noted the DDA and the forest department should have corrected it, but they didn't.

The FSI report highlighted significant errors in the original project proposal, estimating 3,093 trees in the affected area, while the project documents listed 1,050. "The most shocking thing was reporting the wrong number of standing trees," the report added. "Standing trees are still standing and countable by anyone."

Field inspections revealed that the project area boundary had not been marked on the ground before tree enumeration. "If the project boundary is marked, the actual area extent can be seen, and enumeration can be done accurately," the report emphasized.

The case began in May when the Supreme Court launched contempt proceedings against Panda for allowing tree felling without court approval. The DDA sought permission but proceeded without it. The court criticized the DDA and the Lieutenant Governor's office for their oversight. Saxena later admitted he was unaware of the court permission requirement.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government cited DDA negligence, saying, "The Supreme Court of India showed that all government officers were silent spectators to the DDA's illegal acts. Now, the FSI report established that DDA cut 1,670 trees illegally.

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