Trees fell due to rain, not by deconcretisation: SDMC to NGT

The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) today informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that the trees that fell down in some localities of the national capital were due to the recent heavy rains and not because of the deconcretisation work being done by the agency.
The submission was made before a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar which had on August 23 issued contempt notices against the officials concerned of the SDMC and the Forest Department as well as the contractor who was undertaking the work of deconcretisation of trees at Chittaranjan Park and Sheikh Sarai colonies here.

The corporation today submitted before the bench that trees fell down in the recent heavy downpour and not because of any recklessness on its part in executing the deconcretisation work.
The tribunal gave the corporation a week's time to file an affidavit responding to the allegations made against it by petitioner Aditya Prasad, who had contended that the trees were falling because their roots were being seriously damaged due to the careless manner in which heavy machinery was being used to remove the concrete from around the trees.
"Why don't you do your statutory duty of looking after the environment? Why do you have to wait for the courts to pass orders?

"Anywhere in Delhi if a brick is broken for construction purposes, corporation officials reach the place immediately and here you wait for our orders to act," the bench said while giving them a week's time to file the affidavit.
The contempt notices were issued after Prasad had shown pictures and news clippings of trees fallen on road sides in the two colonies, subsequent to the removal of concrete from their roots.