‘LG, the killer of trees’, is thwarting efforts of Kejriwal government to make Delhi pollution free: AAP

NEW DELHI, July 14 , 2024 : The Aam Aadmi Party has expressed deep concern over the conspiracy of the BJP and the Lieutenant Governor (LG) to push the people of Delhi into air pollution by illegally felling hundreds of trees. Describing the LG as a ‘killer of trees’, AAP’s chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar said that he has put an end to the efforts of the Kejriwal government to make Delhi air pollution free by getting 1100 trees felled in the Satbari ridge area without the permission of the Supreme Court.

Addressing a press conference here today, AAP chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar said in the last 10 years, the Aam Aadmi Party government has taken many long-term and short-term steps to control pollution in Delhi. In long-term steps, there are about 1700 industries in Delhi today and all of them have been converted to run on PNG fuel. Delhi has very progressive electric vehicle policy under which the highest number of electric vehicles in the country have been purchased in Delhi. “The Aam Aadmi Party government here has built 1800 charging stations so far and subsidy is available on purchase of electric vehicle. In Delhi, about 1800 public transport buses have now been converted to electric, which has controlled pollution,” she said.

The AAP chief spokesperson said as Delhi gets electricity 24 hours a day, the use of generators and inverters has completely ended. One such long-term measure is planting trees. The Delhi government has brought Delhi’s green cover to a historic high in the last 10 years and Delhi’s green cover is now about 24 percent. In the last 4 years, 2 crore trees have been planted in Delhi. As many as 17 city forests exist in Delhi and the Aam Aadmi Party government is creating 6 more forests in Delhi. “City forests are being developed near the metro station in Shastri Park, near ITO Chungi Part 2, in Mukhmelpur, Shikarpur, Aya Nagar and in Jaunapur,” she said.

Priyanka Kalkar said on one hand, there is the Aam Aadmi Party government, which is planting trees, is constantly trying to make Delhi pollution free and on the other hand, there is the LG of Delhi who secretly goes to an eco-sensitive zone and orders tree felling in contempt of the Supreme Court. “An order of the Supreme Court is required to cut even a single tree there. Without the order of the Supreme Court, cutting even a single tree in that eco-sensitive zone, in the ridge area of Satbari is not allowed,” she said.

Highlighting the importance of trees in bringing down pollution, the AAP chief spokesperson said ‘Trees and Environment’ is a write-up on the Union government website and it is written in it that a mature tree absorbs 22 kg of carbon dioxide in a year and trees also release oxygen. “A mature tree is sufficient for the annual oxygen requirement of two people. Trees are so important. It is also written in it that trees not only clean the air, they also clean the land below and the surrounding groundwater. The roots of the trees help to filter the rainwater and absorb whatever chemical is present in the surrounding soil,” she said.

Priyanka Kakkar said in today’s time, felling even a single tree in Delhi is an atrocity against the people of Delhi, LG is the killer of trees. On February 3, the LG goes to Satbari and orders felling of 1100 trees at a place where not even a single tree can be felled without the permission of the Supreme Court. “For the benefit of which capitalist friend did the LG himself go and give these directions? Not only this, when this matter came before the Supreme Court, they (the bench) reprimanded LG, saying that you have started considering yourself as the court. The LG misled the Supreme Court on three dates, the BJP misled the people of Delhi by saying that the Aam Aadmi Party had given permission for this. Which is not possible because only the Supreme Court can give permission for this,” she said.

The AAP chief spokesperson said this is not the first time that LG is engaged in cutting the trees of Delhi, the lungs of Delhi. Earlier also the LG continuously cut trees in three colonies of Delhi, Netaji Nagar, East Kidwai Nagar and Nauroji Nagar. In East Kidwai Nagar, the duty of the Central Government was to plant about 9000 trees, there 1600 trees were cut. Where the duty was to cut 1302 trees in Nauroji Nagar and to compensate for cutting 1302 trees, they had to plant 14,650 saplings as per law, they did not even do that. “Delhi LG continuously wants to cut off Delhi’s lungs. Why is he doing this, on whose orders is he doing this, why is he misleading the Supreme Court, he should answer this. And why is the BJP repeatedly misleading the people of Delhi, he should answer this. If he cannot do anything good for Delhi, then at least he should stop harming the people of Delhi,” she said.