के (cid:3)ीय सूचना आयोग Central Information Commission बाबा गंगनाथ माग(cid:18), मुिनरका

Baba Gangnath Marg, Munirka नई िद(cid:24)ी, New Delhi – 110067 File No: CIC/MCDND/C/2023/628005 Akshay Kumar Malhotra ….िशकायतकता(cid:18) /Complainant VERSUS बनाम PIO Dy. Director Horticulture, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Keshavpuram Zone, A-1 Block, Keshavpuram, Delhi- 110035 ….(cid:27)ितवादीगण /Respondent Date of Hearing : 18.07.2025 Date of Decision : 30.07.2025 INFORMATION COMMISSIONER : Vinod Kumar Tiwari Relevant facts emerging from complaint:

RTI application filed on : 27.12.2022 CPIO replied on : Not on record First appeal filed on : 31.01.2023 First Appellate Authority’s order : Not on record

2nd Appeal/Complaint dated : 07.06.2023 Information sought:

1. The Complainant filed an RTI application dated 27.12.2022 (offline)

seeking the following information:

“RTI is related to a very larger public interest and is related to, to know the enforcement of DPTA, 1994 (Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994) and to ensure that proper procedures are been followed in respect of cutting of Trees and Forest Produce (as per the definition under Section

2(d) and 2(i) of DPTA, 1994) in AC Block, Shalimar Bagh, Delhi-110 088.

Intent of larger public interest I am quoting here from the DPTA, 1994, where in 'INTRODUCTION' it is said that '..... The declining forest area, urbanization of rural belts and widening of roads has been effecting the environment very badly. In order to safeguard the forest area and to provide for the preservation of trees the Delhi Preservation of Trees Bill was introduced in the Legislative Assembly.'

So, what can be described as the larger public interest than the above quote from the Bill itself, which was passed in Legislative Assembly of Delhi and became the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994.

So, the queries asked by me in my present RTI Application is guided towards safeguarding trees and illegal cutting of Trees / big branches of Trees as well as Illegal cutting in the name of pruning of trees/forest produce, in the entire AC Block (Residential area of AC Block as well as the AC Block DDA Market), Shalimar Bagh, Delhi-110088 including all lanes/bylanes inside AC Block, as these lanes/bylanes comes under the jurisdiction of MCD and also more than 17 numbers MCD parks which are officially maintained by RWA under funding from Delhi Park and Garden Society of GNCTD, in the entire AC Block (Residential + Market)

Shalimar Bagh, Delhi-110088.

These more than 17 numbers of smaller sized parks covers the fairly good population of local residents for their various activities viz. walking / jogging/leisure gossiping and specifically by kids and by senior citizens as a place to socialize with an attempt to live a quality life.

So, these parks are lifeline of so many local residents of all age groups.

Enforcement of DPTA, 1994 helps creating / maintaining a green cover in NCT of Delhi and which helps the citizen of Delhi in specific and environment at large to gain from the fresh air and pollution control which is done by this green cover, and all the more it becomes more important when NCT of Delhi is suffering from larger pollution menace.

Regular and illegal cutting of trees / forest produce as well as Illegal cutting of big branches of trees in name of pruning is a regular feature in the parks as well as lanes/bylanes of the said AC Block (Residential + Market), and which is evident from the fact of the complaints made by me in recent past, wherein I provided the photographs also of cutting / damaging the trees and forest produce in the name of pruning the same.

Violation of RTI Act, 2005 by the Public Authority Time and again, it is directed by various Judicial Courts (H'ble Supreme Court and H'ble High Courts) as well as Central Information Commission that a voluntary disclosure of all information that ought to be displayed in the public domain should be the rule and members of public who having to seek information should be an exc