Ten days after a Delhi Development Authority (DDA) engineer submitted a deposition in the Supreme Court stating that an email sent from his account allegedly implicating the L-G for felling of trees in the Southern Ridge was “manipulated… and changed with malicious intent”, DDA Vice Chairman Subhasish Panda wrote to the L-G’s Principal Secretary pointing out that an inquiry had revealed that an email by the engineer had mentioned that the HLG (Honourable Lieutenant-Governor) had directed the clearing of trees.
A fresh affidavit filed by DDA in the Supreme Court on Wednesday includes a letter written on June 28, 2024, by Panda to Ashish Kundra, Principal Secretary to the L-G, which states: “In compliance of the… (Supreme Court) order an inquiry has been instituted by me by constituting a three-member committee of senior officials of DDA to identify the person(s) who entrusted the job of felling of trees to the contractor without waiting for permission from the honourable Supreme Court.
In the said enquiry, it has been revealed that Sh Manoj Yadav SMD 5, DDA had given directions to the contractors for felling of the said trees vide an email dated 14-02-2014 at 6.04 pm. In the said email, he has mentioned that the HLG (Honourable L-G) had visited CAPFIMS road on 3-02-2014 and directed to clear the trees coming in the ROW (right of way).”
Yadav is the Executive Engineer with the DDA who in his deposition on June 7, 2024, said, “The email dated February 14 produced by the agency (which was contracted the work) is manipulated as the contents of email sent to CE and SE dated February 14 at 5.48 hours has been changed with malicious motives. The agency in collusion with some unknown staff got the email forwarded to them at 6.03 pm.”
When The Indian Express asked DDA Vice Chairman Panda why did he refer to the email which mentioned “the HLG had visited CAPFIMS road on 03-02-2024 and directed to clear the trees” despite the DDA engineer’s deposition to the Supreme Court 10 days earlier, he said, “I will not comment on this matter since it is sub judice.”
Responding to Panda’s letter, Kundra wrote back, “This office does not maintain record of discussions of field visits of Hon’ble LG. This was a multi-agency visit to CAPFIMS undertaken at the behest of MHA.” He also requested the Chief Secretary (who was present during the visit) to submit a summary of the decisions/ suggestions taken that day.
The matter relates to the alleged illegal cutting of close to 1,100 trees in Chhatarpur area in South Delhi for widening the road leading to the Central Armed Police Forces Institute of Medical Sciences (CAPFIMS), even as a final permission to carry out the action was not taken from the Supreme Court.
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A contempt petition was filed by activists in the Supreme Court bringing to notice the alleged tree cutting in the area. During the course of DDA’s investigation, it was also revealed that there was a preliminary agreement to cut only 422 trees but several more were hacked.
The court had, on May 16, had asked that an enquiry be instituted into who ordered the trees to be cut. Panda refers to the committee’s report in his letter to the L-G’s Principal Secretary Kundra.
Jatin Anand is an Assistant Editor with the national political bureau of The Indian Express. With over 16 years of experience in mainstream journalism, he is a seasoned expert in national governance, electoral politics, and bureaucratic affairs. Having covered high-stakes beats including the Election Commission of India (ECI), intelligence, and urban development, Jatin provides authoritative analysis of the forces shaping Indian democracy. He is an alumnus of Zakir Husain Delhi College (DU) and the prestigious Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai, where he specialized in Print Journalism.
Expertise
High-Stakes Beat Coverage: Throughout his decade-and-a-half career, Jatin has covered some of the most sensitive and influential beats in the country, including:
The Election Commission of India (ECI): Monitoring electoral policy, reforms, and the conduct of national and state polls.
National Security & Intelligence: Reporting on the internal mechanisms and developments within India's security apparatus.
Urban Development: Analyzing the policies and bureaucratic processes driving the transformation of India’s cities.
National Political Bureau: In his current role, he tracks the intersection of policy and politics, offering deep-dive reporting on the Union government and national political movements.
Academic Credentials:
Zakir Husain Delhi College (DU): Alumnus of one of Delhi's premier institutions.
Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai: Specialized in Print Journalism at India's most prestigious journalism school. ... Read More
