Former First Daughter of India and Delhi Pradesh Mahila Congress (DPMC) chief Sharmistha Mukherjee alleged that the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP)-led central government and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government are proving their insensitivity towards the deteriorating ecology and alarming rise in the pollution levels in the national Capital. She carried out a protest against the cutting of trees along with hundreds of women Congress workers near Sarojini Nagar as she held a 'Save the Tree Campaign'.

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Furthermore, she demanded a white paper from the respective governments. "Both the BJP and the AAP governments should come out with a white paper on the green cover and the mounting pollution levels so that the pollutions levels could be effectively tackled to make Delhi liveable for its people," said Sharmistha.

The DPMC chief tied protection bands around the trees carrying pro-environment slogans along with Congress workers. She alleged, "ever since the BJP came to power at the Centre and the AAP in Delhi, the green cover of Delhi has been fast depleting due to the reckless felling of trees, without any concern for the city's environment."

Recently, after a petition by KK Mishra, an orthopaedic surgeon, the Delhi High Court had put a stay on a controversial project that requires cutting of nearly 17,000 trees in the metropolitan for the construction of governmental flats in the Sarojini Nagar-Nauroji Nagar area. Mukherjee claimed that "nearly 15,000 trees have been cut down in Delhi from 2014 to April 2018," adding that,"This excludes the 1,700 trees felled in Pragati Maidan for a new exhibition building."

Sharmistha further warned that such move would lead to a decline in tourists flow coming for the city, in addition to health disasters for its residents. "Delhi, being the Capital of the country, many international conferences are held, in which foreign dignitaries of repute participate, but if Delhi is shorn of all the tree cover to make it a bald city, then foreign visitors and tourists will stop coming to Delhi, and even those who live in Delhi will find life extremely difficult to manage,"she added.