close
close
  • February 14, 2025
Independent agency can work on green cover in Delhi: Supreme Court | Latest News Delhi

Independent agency can work on green cover in Delhi: Supreme Court | Latest News Delhi

The Supreme Court on Monday said it will ask an agency to improve Delhi’s green cover amid concerns over bad air in the city.

The bank took the Delhi government to task for not doing enough to improve the capital's green cover. (HT archive)
The bank took the Delhi government to task for not doing enough to improve the capital’s green cover. (HT archive)

It also added that it may eventually consider issuing an order to ensure that all cars used by the government and state-owned companies and organizations are electric.

In cases arising out of a public interest litigation filed four decades ago by lawyer and activist MC Mehta over poor air quality in Delhi, the court pulled up the Delhi government for not doing enough to improve the capital’s green cover to improve. S Oka and Augustine George Masih said the court in June this year directed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government to take constructive steps in this direction but nothing has been done since then except holding rallies.

“We propose to appoint an agency for improving green cover,” the court said, asking senior advocate Guru Krishnakumar, who is assisting the court as amicus curiae, to propose an agency to do this could do when the case is heard again on December 18. of the amicus’ suggestions was from the Forest Survey of India (FSI). The Delhi government, represented by Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati, pointed out that a work plan for sustainable management of forests and biodiversity conservation for Delhi is being prepared by the Dehradun-based Forest Research Institute.

AK Singh, Principal Secretary, Environment and Forest, Delhi participated in the hearing virtually and informed the court that the government has held four meetings so far. The court reminded the officer that when the Delhi government filed an affidavit in this regard in October, it again talked about meetings and regretted that no constructive steps had been taken. Singh’s response was to point out that the government has held two more meetings since October and that “we can hold another meeting.”

Angered by the response, the bench said: “If convening meetings is the only exercise you have carried out, we will appoint an independent agency and issue directions. Apart from holding meetings, nothing has been done. “There has been no satisfactory progress on what we said in our June 26 order.”

This same bench recently passed guidelines against stubble burning and oversaw the enforcement of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in Delhi-NCR when the air quality in the capital crossed 450, making Delhi’s air toxic.

The court’s June 26 order directed the Delhi forest department and all agencies involved in ensuring green cover in Delhi to meet three court-appointed experts – former IFS officer Sunil Limaye, Chief Conservator of Forests Ishwer Singh and environmentalist Pradeep Kishen to consider their recommendations for developing a scientific and targeted approach to improving sustainable tree cover in the capital.

The top court recently sought a tree census in the national capital while overseeing the role of the Tree Authority under the Delhi Tree Preservation Act (DTPA) in a petition filed by a resident of Delhi, Bhavreen Kandhari, stating claimed that Delhin lost five trees every hour. and according to official data, 60,000 trees have been felled in the last six years. This issue is also expected to be addressed at the next hearing.