Green body directs Delhi Chief Secy to furnish report

NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Delhi Chief Secretary to furnish a status report about compliance of its order to enhance the Forest Department's staff strength and providing proper infrastructure and equipment to its officials. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel passed the order after noting that no such report has been submitted despite March 25 order of the tribunal.

The green panel also expressed dissatisfaction over status report furnished by the Forest Department which said that steps have been initiated to enhance the infrastructure and staff strength. The tribunal stated that the report does not give the relevant information. "Nobody appears for the

Delhi government. We give another opportunity to the chief secretary to comply with the order," the bench, also comprising SP Wangdi, said. The AAP government has earlier told the NGT that steps have been initiated to enhance the infrastructure and staff strength of its Forest Department for better preservation and conservation of forests.

The submission was made in a report filed pursuant to the NGT's March 25 order asking whether its December 10, 2015 direction to enhance the

Forest Department's staff strength and providing proper infrastructure and equipment to its officials has been complied with. The tribunal was hearing a plea by Delhi resident Aditya N Prasad, a lawyer, alleging

that the tribunal's December 2015 direction has not been complied with by the Forest Department.

The earlier direction of the tribunal to enhance Forest Department's strength and infrastructure was issued on Prasad's plea alleging that the department was suffering from "massive deficiencies of manpower resources" due to which it was facing difficulties in preserving and conserving the flora and fauna in the national capital.