The Delhi government on Wednesday told the High Court that it had conducted an internal audit of the income generated on account of felling of trees but would need to check if the same can be put to an audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).
Internal audit
The Delhi government told a Bench of Justices B. D. Ahmed and Ashutosh Kumar that it had conducted an internal audit of the income so generated.
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The issue came up as the Bench sought to know if there was any account of trees felled and the income so generated, and if there was, the same needed to be audited by the CAG.
“After all, whatever income is being made by the government is subject to a CAG audit,” added the Bench.
The issue of a CAG audit of the income generated from felling of trees came up during a hearing on a matter concerning air pollution in Delhi, wherein the Bench considered the aspect of illegal felling of trees leading to poor air quality.
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Money refunded
The court is examining how much money has been received by the Delhi government’s Forest Department for giving permission to cut down trees for various development projects and how much has been refunded by the authority.
Under the rules, 50% of the money received by the department for giving permission is to be refunded after five years if the person or the authority which cuts down a tree plants 10 trees as compensatory afforestation. Government counsel Rahul Mehra sought some time to check if an internal audit was audited by the CAG.
Meanwhile, another petitioner before the Bench sought a ban on firecrackers and use of amplifiers during the ongoing wedding season.
The court also asked the government about the steps taken pursuant to its order in December last year to frame guidelines with regard to bursting of crackers during festivals.