Report by MoEF body says 267 trees felled for Vasant Kunj road project

The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE),which was ordered by the NGT to audit the area,reported that nearly 267 trees were uprooted and calculated their value in terms of replacing them. A Vasant Kunj resident Sonya Ghosh brought the PWD to court in March,accusing it of felling hundreds of trees for a 3-km road-widening project without permission. PWD officials and the contractor for the project had claimed they were innocent.

“The findings of the expert committee gives an alarming picture,” Justice Swatanter Kumar said.

The PWD and the contractor have not provided any explanation or evidence upholding their innocence despite several court orders. Justice Kumar ordered them again on Wednesday to explain what happened and “why they should not be punished for lying”.

He said they had to “choose whether to be truthful to the Tribunal,” and ordered them to file their responses before the next hearing on July 15. This is the third audit submitted to the NGT assessing the damage. Earlier,the Forest Department in its report had said 48 trees were illegally felled. A joint committee formed by the parties involved in the case had later estimated the number to be 120.

The ICFRE,an autonomous body of the Ministry of Environment and Forests,was ordered by Justice Kumar in May to submit the report.