AAP member Shah questions BJP’s silence on tree felling in Ridge area

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday questioned the BJP’s silence on “illegal” tree felling in the region.

ridge region, and said the saffron party’s stand on Delhi’s pollution was nothing but “politics”.

Addressing a press conference, senior AAP leader Jasmine Shah said that ever since the issue surfaced, the BJP and Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena have maintained “silence” on it.

On one hand, the Kejriwal government has planted millions of trees in the last nine years to reduce pollution, shut down coal-fired thermal power plants, provided round-the-clock electricity to Delhiites and introduced the best electric vehicle (EV) policy in the country. On the other hand, the BJP is cutting down trees in cities and hills in the name of development.

“A few days ago, an incident of illegal felling of 1,100 trees was discovered in Chhatarpur Ridge area of ​​Delhi. This ridge area is the most sensitive area of ​​Delhi, it is called the lungs of Delhi. Despite this, the central government agency, DDA, felled 1,100 trees during the night of February 2024 without the permission of the Supreme Court,” he alleged.

Shah added that the Delhi government has formed a three-minister inquiry committee to find out on whose orders and under whose pressure these trees were cut.

“Today, while people in the Supreme Court and across the country are talking about this incident and asking questions about it, the BJP and the Delhi LG are completely silent on this matter,” he said.

“The BJP, which has not done anything against pollution in its states, is still shedding crocodile tears over pollution in Delhi. It is surprising that the BJP has remained silent over the incident of felling of 1,100 trees in Delhi’s Ridge area,” he said. The Delhi Enquiry Committee, formed a week ago, has been continuously sending notices to the Forest Department officials and asking for the report, but the officers are not bringing the file to it, he alleged.

“Because all these officers come under the LG. Therefore, they are under pressure from above. Should the BJP say who is pressuring the officials of the Forest Department of the Delhi government?” Shah asked.

“If the BJP does not answer these questions within 24 hours, it will become clear that this entire conspiracy has been hatched by the BJP and it is the BJP which is pressurising these officers,” he said.