Delhi govt's fact finding panel visits area where 1,100 trees 'felled', alleges cover up

New Delhi: The fact finding committee of the Delhi government on Tuesday visited Satbari in southern Ridge area, where 1,100 trees were allegedly felled without proper permission.

Urban development minister Saurabh Bharadwaj claimed that "the stump and stem of the cut trees were being removed from the place to keep a lid on the whole thing".

He said the land of the nearby farmhouses could have been acquired to build the road but, instead, trees in the forested area were cut down.

Revenue minister Atishi, who is also a part of the three-member fact finding committee, alleged that the "officers were hiding facts from the them and avoiding to attend the meeting".

She said the committee will submit its report before the Supreme Court that is seized of the matter.

The AAP leaders have alleged that 1,100 trees in the southern Ridge area were cut by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on the lieutenant governor's verbal instructions.

The party-led Delhi government has constituted a fact finding committee comprising ministers Bharadwaj, Atishi and Imran Hussain to look into the matter.

Recently, the BJP, showing some purported documents related to the matter, claimed that the trees were felled after approvals from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and environment minister Gopal Rai.