Police complaint against Delhi Golf Club for illegally felling trees

New Delhi: A police complaint was on Tuesday filed against the elite Delhi Golf Club by the Delhi Government for allegedly felling over 100 trees illegally on its premises.

According to an official statement, the complaint has been filed with Hazrat Nizamuddin Police Station on the basis of an inspection report of Forest Department officials who visited the spot thrice last week after an existing member alleged that the club fell over 100 trees without permission from authorities.

The inspection report confirmed that pits were being dug and logs of several sizes were being dumped there. It said that logs already dug out manually from the pits at the site are numbered and lying at the site, the statement said.

The Forest Department inspection team dug out 425 logs from the club premises during its visit, it said. However, the government through the forest department has said in the complaint that more pits are required to be dug to extract the logs to ascertain the gravity of the offence.

The Delhi Golf Club "categorically" denied any wrongdoing in the matter, saying the case is an attempt to malign its reputation. The government said the matter needs urgent registration of FIR and further investigation by police department.

The inspection team, comprising four officials of the forest department, made a site visit to the club and submitted its report.

The complaint demands registration of an FIR for violation of section 8 and section 23 of Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994, so that the offender could be booked and brought into a logical conclusion before the court of law On the directions of the Chief Minister, Delhi's Environment Minister Imran Hussain had ordered the department to submit an inspection report on the tree felling in the Delhi Gold Club.

The Delhi Golf Club said that it will extend all possible support to the investigating authorities. "The Delhi Golf Club is one of the oldest and reputed institutions residing in the heart of Delhi and has made every possible effort to preserve its natural surroundings and the environment.

No action that, in any manner, harms the environment, has been taken by the Club or its governing authorities," it said. "We have not seen the copy of the complaint filed with the local authorities as yet.

As law abiding citizens of the country, we will take every possible measure to follow the course of the investigation and extend all possible support to the investigating authorities,” it added.