The Delhi Development Authority, which is facing contempt proceedings in the Supreme Court over the “illegal” felling of around 1,100 trees in South Delhi’s Satbari area, has now to contend with a new allegation.

Three petitions had earlier questioned the DDA’s land acquisition for its road-widening project. But a few locals have now alleged that the DDA changed the planned alignment of the road project to protect the “influential” owners of farmhouses located opposite to the side on which the trees were cut. 

Neeraj Kumar, a resident of Gaushala Road, has filed an intervention application before the top court as it hears the contempt petition against the DDA over the tree-felling exercise, Newslaundry has learnt. Kumar claimed that they have been flagging the agency’s “biased” act to higher authorities, including the offices of the prime minister and the lieutenant governor, since October without any result.

Meanwhile, a comparison of the two maps and visits to the area by Newslaundry also suggest a widening of the road only on the ridge side while keeping private properties such as farmhouses, located opposite to the ridge, untouched. While the previous map showed the existing road bent towards a portion of the ridge area, the new map straightens a part of this proposed stretch – ostensibly impacting a larger portion of the protected forests. The previous plan would have impacted around six farmhouses, but the new one affects two.

The new plan impacted around 1,100 trees as compared to the 50 that would have been cut had the road been expanded more towards the side of the farmhouses facing the ridge, claims the application filed before the top court, Newslaundry has learnt.

The new plan impacts several families living in small houses and owners of small shops, who are opposing the project in its current form.

Gaushala Road

Gaushala Road connects Chhattarpur Main Road with South Asian University, or SAU. Already, the Supreme Court has come down heavily on both the DDA and Vinai Kumar Saxena, the L-G, questioning their role in the tree-felling exercise. The trees were part of the legally protected Delhi ridge area and were cut without waiting for the court’s permission.

In the last hearing on June 26, the DDA told the apex court that it was unable to confirm whether a record of the L-G’s visit to the site on February 3 was available. The court dismissed the agency’s plea for more time to provide this “simple information”, considering the plea “not bona fide” and suggesting a “cover-up”.

Gaushala Road is dotted with many farmhouses and small houses apart from the ridge area that covers nearly 800 metres of one side of it. It is this stretch of the ridge where the DDA “illegally” hacked hundreds of trees without taking permission from the court.

On the side of the road where the trees were cut, there are only two farmhouses and some very small houses in the initial 200 metres of the road as it starts from Chhattarpur Main Road and goes on to intersect with Rajpur Road where SAU stands. Around 250 families live in these small houses, claimed the fresh application filed before the top court.

At least five locals claimed that the side of the road on which at least four farmhouses and an ashram, called Sri Gnanananda Ashram, are located has been left untouched by the DDA to favour the owners of these farmhouses. They claim the DDA did this by altering the approved original map of Gaushala Road expansion which stipulated that the road would be widened on both sides. 

Three petitions were filed last year after the agency demolished portions of the boundary walls of two farmhouses and allegedly threatened other residents on the side on which it felled trees.

The two maps

Official documents show that the proposal to widen the road has been under discussion since 2022. The plan was approved by the DDA’s Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning & Engineering) Centre, or UTTIPEC, in August 2022. This approved map provided for expansion of the road on both sides as it goes from Chhattarpur Main Road to SAU with the central line of the widened road falling outside the existing boundary of the road on the side where four farmhouses are located. This means the road would have been expanded more on the side of the four farmhouses while the other side where small houses and two farmhouses are located would have to give up only small portions of land.

On October 21 last year, DDA officials arrived at Gaushala Road along with Delhi Police and demolished the boundary walls of two farmhouses for the expansion of the road. A writ petition was then filed in the Delhi High Court, seeking direction against the DDA. In response to this petition, the DDA submitted a map of the road which was prepared on October 18, 2023. In this map, the alignment of the road was changed and widening of the road was shown only on the ridge side. The boundary of the widened road was now kept the same as the existing boundary on the side where four farmhouses are located. 

‘They are only taking the land of helpless’

Neeraj Kumar, a resident of Satbari’s Gaushala Road, told Newslaundry that he and other residents have been protesting against the DDA’s move to widen the road on only one side since November. His family has been living in one of those small houses for the last 43 years. 

“Earlier we were told that only 15 feet from our side would be taken. But now they are saying we will lose around 70 feet. We have been demanding that the road should be widened on both sides,” he said. “We are poor; if they are taking some from us, they should also take some from them.”

In a letter to the Supreme Court Legal Service Committee on July 2, he sought legal help while alleging that despite his complaints to the PMO, the ministry of environment, forest and climate change, or MoEFC, and the L-G’s office, no action had been taken.

On December 16, he wrote to the L-G’s office, alleging “biases” in DDA’s action and demanding that the road be widened on both sides as shown in Map 1. He wrote at least two more letters to the L-G’s office. 

In his complaint to the MoEFC and the PMO in February, he alleged rampant “corruption” in the road-widening process to benefit “businessmen”. He also alleged attempts to demolish the houses of the poor. 

Meanwhile, his writ petition before the Delhi HC is still pending and will be heard on July 12. 

Newslaundry tried to get the DDA’s response on the matter, but no official response has been received until now. The report will be updated if we receive a response.

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