Kanwar Marg project: UP to inquire ‘tree felling exceeding 20m limit’

Ghaziabad: Uttar Pradesh chief secretary Manoj Kumar Singh, following directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), has appointed an inquiry officer to examine the issues related to felling of trees exceeding the 20- metre limit as set for the 111km Kanwar Road project. The issue was raised during a February hearing.

In its April 7 hearing, whose order was uploaded on April 15, the NGT said, “Learned ASG submits in terms of the previous order to inquire the issue flagged therein an inquiry officer has been appointed by the chief secretary who is examining the issue. In this background, he has sought two weeks to submit the fresh status report.”

The tribunal is currently hearing the matter of the construction of the road, ‘Kanwar Marg’ that is proposed through ecologically sensitive areas, after taking suo motu cognizance of a Hindustan Times report, dated February 1, 2024, about how the state government’s forest department gave nod to fell about 112,722 trees and shrubs in the protected forests of three forest divisions — Ghaziabad, Meerut and Muzaffarnagar — to build two lanes of the road.

During the February 28 hearing, an additional report, submitted to the tribunal by Forest Survey of India’s (FSI) joint-director Meera Iyer identified several locations along the Upper Ganga Canal, where tree felling had exceeded the 20-metre limit.

The additional report, filed by the officer, also said the UGC road project did not have the mandatory final approval from the Union environment ministry, thus making any tree felling, irrespective of the width felled, a violation of rules.

In view of the report, the tribunal had observed, “We are of the opinion that once it has been disclosed in the report of such a high officer that in certain stretches felling of trees beyond 20 metres has been done, and satellite images have been enclosed, then, the competent authority of the state must verify it, ascertain its correctness and if illegal felling of trees beyond 20 metres has taken place, then take appropriate action against those who are responsible for such illegal felling of trees.”

The tribunal then directed the chief secretary to ensure compliance of the directions through a competent officer.

The tribunal has been informed that a road stretch of about 62km is already constructed for which 17,607 trees have been felled, and after the proposed realignment, another 49.4km stretch is to be constructed, which will lead to cutting of 9,417 trees.

During a previous hearing on January 20, the tribunal was informed about a “change in the alignment” for the remaining portion of the Kanwar Marg in order to cut down tree felling to about two-thirds of the originally proposed number.

But the additional report filed by the officer of the FSI further pointed out that three alternative routes could have been adopted to minimise tree felling. One alternative was through agricultural fields on the right banks of the canal, while two alternatives were through the left banks of the canal, all places with fewer trees.