A fact-finding panel informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that over 17,600 trees have been cut across three districts in Uttar Pradesh to clear the path for the new Kanwar Yatra route.
The NGT was reviewing a case concerning the alleged felling of more than one lakh trees and shrubs within protected forest areas in Ghaziabad, Meerut, and Muzaffarnagar. These removals are part of a planned route from Muradnagar in Ghaziabad to Purkaji in Muzaffarnagar.
In an order dated November 6, NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava noted the submission of an interim report by a joint committee formed to investigate the matter. The committee included representatives such as the Forest Survey of India director, a senior scientist from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the chief secretary of the state or their representative, and the Meerut district magistrate.
According to the bench, which also included Judicial Member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and Expert Member A Senthil Vel, the irrigation department reported that 17,607 trees were removed across the three districts as of August 9, 2024.
While initial permission had been granted for felling 1,12,722 trees, authorities later revised this figure to 33,776 trees. The tribunal directed the Uttar Pradesh government to confirm whether the tree removal was calculated following the UP Protection of Trees Act and instructed the state’s environment department’s additional chief secretary to file an affidavit within two weeks detailing the exact number of trees planned for removal for the route’s construction.
The tribunal further asked the state to clarify whether trees were cut beyond the designated width of 15 to 20 meters, identifying any responsible individuals if so.
Highlighting the public importance of this project, the tribunal urged the joint committee to expedite its review and submit a final report promptly. Additionally, it noted that the Surveyor General had previously mentioned a drone survey to assess tree removal along canal banks on October 16. However, the tribunal found that the submitted report from the Survey of India did not contain this information.
The NGT directed the Surveyor General to provide updated satellite imagery comparing the tree cover in 2023 with that in 2024 (up to October) for the relevant areas. The next hearing is scheduled for November 25.
With inputs from the agency.
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