Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Friday accused Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) of lying in the Supreme Court over the alleged felling of more than 1,000 tress in the capital's Ridge area.

"While children and NGOs are planting trees in Delhi, the central government's DDA is cutting 1,670 trees in the Ridge area without the Supreme Court's permission. Besides, the lawyers of the DDA and the LG are lying in the Supreme Court," the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader told a press conference here.

He questioned why the DDA, which is under the LG's chairmanship, is avoiding an inspection of its files despite the Supreme Court's orders. Bharadwaj also wondered whether the Centre is attempting to protect the LG, who allegedly ordered the illegal felling of 1,670 trees.

No immediate response was available from the LG's office or the DDA regarding the accusations.

As northern India struggles with air pollution, the time has come to acknowledge the importance of trees, Bharadwaj said.

Earlier, the apex court noted discrepancies in the statements and timelines provided by the LG and the DDA vice-chairman regarding when they got to know of the tree felling in the Ridge area. The court directed them to make a "specific disclosure".

The hearing is going on over a contempt petition filed against the DDA vice-chairman for the illegal felling of more than 1,100 trees in the Satbari Ridge area in south Delhi.

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