New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday asked an environmentalist it appointed as amicus curiae to look into felling of 800 trees to widen a road in South Delhi's Vasant Kunj area to submit her report by April 9.
Justice Rajiv Shakdher also asked the city government and the petitioner in the matter to cooperate with the amicus, environmentalist Sunita Narain, who has been appointed by the court to help it with the matter.
The court listed the matter for further hearing on April 9. The court was hearing a plea filed by Vasant Kunj resident Bindu Kapurea, challenging a January 5 decision of the Appellate Authority on preservation of trees' which had upheld the Deputy Conservator of Forests' decision to permit removal of over 800 trees from the area to facilitate widening of a road from Andheria Modh to Fortis Hospital in Vasant Kunj.
The court had earlier asked the Public Works Department (PWD) to explain how it proposed to cut so many trees when only 226 were earmarked by DDA's specialised agency, Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning & Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC).
In response to the query, PWD had submitted before the court that the figure of UTTIPEC was tentative and that the forest department gave permission to fell the trees only after the number of trees to be removed were given to it.
The petitioner, in her plea, has contended that there may be instances where trees in certain sections could be saved without interfering with the project.
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