‘Killer of trees’

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party has voiced strong opposition to the actions of the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, accusing him of illegally ordering the felling of 1,100 trees in the Satbari ridge area. AAP’s chief spokesperson, Priyanka Kakkar, referred to the L-G as a “killer of trees,” claiming that this action directly undermines the Kejriwal government’s efforts to make Delhi a pollution-free city. At a press conference on Sunday, Kakkar highlighted the government’s significant strides in tackling pollution over the last decade. She pointed out that all 1,700 industries in Delhi have been converted to operate on PNG fuel, contributing to a cleaner environment. “The AAP government here has built 1,800 charging stations so far and subsidy is available on purchase of electric vehicles,” she stated, noting that Delhi now has the highest number of electric vehicles in the country.

Kakkar further explained the comprehensive measures taken by the government, including the introduction of 1,800 electric buses and the provision of 24-hour electricity to reduce reliance on generators. She emphasised the government’s commitment to increasing Delhi’s green cover, which has reached approximately 24 per cent due to the planting of over 2 crore trees in the past four years. The government is also developing city forests in various locations, including Shastri Park and Jaunapur. Despite these efforts, Kakkar condemned the L-G’s actions, stating, “An order of the Supreme Court is required to cut even a single tree there.” She accused the L-G of misleading the Supreme Court and the public about the tree felling, demanding to know, “For the benefit of which capitalist friend did the L-G himself go and give these directions?”

Kakkar also called attention to previous instances of tree cutting, highlighting that the L-G had allowed significant tree removals in colonies like East Kidwai Nagar and Nauroji Nagar, without fulfilling the legal requirement to plant compensatory saplings.