Rohini trees damaged: Delhi HC asks PWD, cops for reply on contempt plea

Advocate Aditya N Prasad, appearing for the petitioner, said authorities had damaged and continue to damage trees while carrying out “deep trenching activity” and “streetscaping” on KN Katju Marg in Rohini.

The Delhi high court on Monday sought the stand of several officials of the Public Works Department (PWD) and state police on a plea seeking contempt action for alleged damage to trees during construction on a road in Rohini area.

The court noted that the photographs submitted by the petitioner showed concrete being poured on the roots of a tree. (HT File) (Representation purpose)

Justice Najmi Waziri issued a notice to the PWD engineer-in-chief, executive engineers, and the secretary, as well as the deputy commissioner of police, the station house officer (SHO) concerned and the tree officer concerned on a contempt petition filed by New Delhi Nature Society, which claimed that there was wilful disobedience of judicial orders regarding the preservation of trees.

The court noted that the photographs submitted by the petitioner showed concrete being poured on the roots of a tree.

Advocate Aditya N Prasad, appearing for the petitioner, said authorities had damaged and continue to damage trees while carrying out “deep trenching activity” and “streetscaping” on KN Katju Marg in Rohini.

Advocate Shadan Farast, appearing for the tree officer concerned, said he agreed with the petitioner and called the present situation unacceptable. He informed the court that the tree officer had also imposed a fine on PWD.

“How long will you keep imposing costs? There are three or four (contempt) petitions pending... Somehow there is something amiss,” the court said.

Counsel for the petitioner, meanwhile, said there are judicial orders in place that mandate leaving one metre kutcha space around trees and the court had asked the PWD to exercise due caution in all its ongoing civil works and future projects while dealing with the other contempt case in January.

“The work (in the present case) involves deep trenching work within one metre radius from the trees, which is in violation of the aforesaid judgement/orders and the provisions of the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994 (DPTA),” the petition said.

The matter will next be heard on September 1.