Kejriwal house row: PWD denies any environmental norm violations

In a report to NGT, PWD said it did not intentionally file five separate tree felling requests due to problems that arose during the planning stage

The Public Works Department (PWD), in a submission made to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), has denied any environmental norm violations during the construction or alteration of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence.

In May last year, Delhi resident Naresh Chaudhary filed a petition before the tribunal alleging that over 20 trees were felled during the reconstruction of the CM’s residence without the approval of the DUAC. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

In a report submitted to NGT on February 29, PWD also said it did not intentionally file five separate tree felling requests due to different circumstances and problems that arose during the planning stage.

The agency said that the construction began only after due permissions were sought from the Delhi Urban Art Commission (DUAC) and the forest department.

“It is most respectfully submitted that there have been no intentional violations of environmental or other norms, as alleged or otherwise at all. The permanent construction has been carried out by the answering respondent (PWD) after duly taking approval from the Delhi Urban Art Commission (DUAC)... documents, layouts, and initial drawings submitted on behalf of the respondent department, DUAC had given approval on December 24, 2020, for the ‘addition/alteration of in residence of the chief minister at 6 Flag Staff road, Civil Lines and providing additional accommodation’ for an area of 1583.19 sqms,” said the submission.

In May last year, Delhi resident Naresh Chaudhary filed a petition before the tribunal alleging that over 20 trees were felled during the reconstruction of the CM’s residence without the approval of the DUAC. Chaudhary also claimed that between November 2020 and April 2022, five different applications were filed to fell around 28 trees. Each application specified less than 10 trees being felled, he had alleged, stating this was done to get faster permissions for the project.

A February 10, 2009 order by the forest department has specified that additional permissions are required from higher authorities (like secretary — environment and forest) for projects in Delhi where over 10 trees are to be felled.

Chaudhary alleged that PWD intentionally sent five separate applications to bypass the rules.

“It is thus wrong and denied that PWD had intentionally filed five separate applications for the felling or transplantation of nine, two, six, six and five trees respectively, in installments of less than 10 trees, to avoid compliance... the intention of PWD was to save maximum trees and to minimize felling,” said the submission.

Last month, a joint committee constituted in the same case found that a forest official — the then deputy conservator of forests (central), had not obtained approval from the conservator of forests for the project. Instead, tree-felling permissions had been approved at his level itself.

The committee also found that the DCF also issued a notice for a tree offence at 45-47 Rajpur Road to the wrong address, issuing it to the executive engineer of the maintenance department at Lok Nayak Hospital, instead of the executive engineer, PWD.

PWD in its submission confirmed the same, stating multiple times, that notices and orders by the forest department were sent to Lok Nayak Hospital, stating these were errors on the part of the forest department.

HT reached out to the forest department which did not respond to queries seeking comments.