DDA tells Supreme Court it can't find records of Delhi LG's site visit prior to tree felling

The Supreme Court criticized the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for not disclosing details about Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena's visit to the site where trees were felled, violating court orders. Justices Abhay Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan demanded DDA clarify if LG Saxena directed the tree cutting in his capacity as DDA Chairperson. Senior Advocate Maninder Singh stated that DDA was still searching for records of the February 3 visit. \r

The court expressed frustration over DDA's failure to locate a simple document and suspected attempts to protect higher officials. The court ordered Ashok Kumar Gupta, an Engineering Department member, to submit an affidavit about the visit. The court also noted illegal tree felling authorized by the Delhi Government and demanded explanations. Notices were issued to the Delhi Government, Tree Authority, MCDs, and NDMC for their roles in the illegal activities.