New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI) The National Green Tribunal has formed a four-member joint panel to look into the allegations of illegal felling of trees for the construction of two lanes of 111-km Kanwar route in Uttar Pradesh.
It also asked the state’s chief secretary to ensure that there was no illegal felling of trees.
The NGT was hearing a matter regarding the alleged felling of more than one lakh trees and shrubs in the protected forest area across three forest divisions of Ghaziabad, Meerut, and Muzaffarnagar for the construction of the Kanwar road from Muradnagar (Ghaziabad district) to Purkaji (Muzaffarnagar district) near Uttarakhand border.
The joint committee will comprise the Forest Survey of India’s director, a senior scientist of the Union environment ministry, a representative of UP chief secretary and the Meerut district magistrate.
In an order passed on August 9, a bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava noted that three intervening applicants had filed photographs of trees being uprooted with JCB machines, and a 2010 inspection report of the Lucknow region office of the Union ministry of environment, which earlier rejected the UP government’s proposal to construct an eight-lane expressway on the same stretch.
The bench also comprising judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member A Senthil Vel said that the previous report had underlined that the expressway would cause a lot of damage to the vegetation all along the upper Ganga canal and disturb the wildlife habitat.
The report also questioned the feasibility of the expressway, saying there were already two roads connecting Ghaziabad, Meerut and Muzaffarnagar with Uttarakhand via NH-58 and a Kanwar road on the left bank of the upper Ganga canal, the bench said.
“It is not clear if while taking a fresh decision, the earlier report of 2010 and conclusion recorded therein was considered,” the tribunal observed.
Akash Vashishtha, counsel for the intervenors, said, “This upper Ganga canal is the lifeline of the whole of western Uttar Pradesh, which is the food bowl of the country. Once you have a road along it, the hydrological linkages are lost and the canal itself will dry up in the next five-six years.” “Every tree is precious and needs to be saved. Please see the extent of the tree felling, it’s 1,12,000. All these are relevant facts to be considered,” he added.
The green panel then considered the submissions of the assistant solicitor general, according to which, around 33,000 trees were to be felled for the construction, of which 17,450 trees were already cut.
The tribunal observed, “It is not clear if the geo-coordinates of the trees which existed prior to the project of construction on the stretch and the geo-coordinates of the trees which have been cut are available with the authorities. By comparing the same, it can be ascertained, if the illegal felling of trees has taken place in the process.” “A large number of trees are further proposed to be cut. Hence, due caution is required to ensure that no illegal or excess felling of trees takes place. The current situation/allegation in respect of unnecessary felling of trees is also required to be ascertained,” it added.
The tribunal then formed a joint committee.
It said, “The committee will visit the site, ascertain the allegation in respect of illegal felling of trees and will also ascertain if the figures relating to the felling of trees till now as disclosed before the tribunal are correct or the trees in excess of those have been cut.” The committee also has to ascertain the feasibility of the road and find whether the permissible road width of 15-20 metres was adhered to, the tribunal said.
It said, “Let this exercise be completed within four weeks and a report be submitted before the tribunal at least one week before the next date of hearing (September 20).” “The Chief Secretary, in the meanwhile, will ensure that no illegal felling of tree takes place,” it added.
The tribunal also issued a notice to the Surveyor General of India and asked him to remain present virtually to explain the reason for not complying with its earlier order regarding filing satellite images of the stretch on the upper Ganga canal to find the extent of trees felled.
It also directed the Survey of India’s head to “apprise” the tribunal with “the satellite image of the stretch in question”. PTI MNR MNR KVK KVK
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