A fact-finding panel has informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that over 17,600 trees have been felled in three Uttar Pradesh districts to make way for the upcoming Kanwar Yatra route.

The tribunal was hearing a case related to the alleged felling of more than 1 lakh trees and shrubs in the protected forest area across the three forest divisions of Ghaziabad, Meerut and Muzaffarnagar for the proposed route between Muradnagar in Ghaziabad and Purkaji in Muzaffarnagar.

In an order dated November 6, a bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava noted that a joint committee formed earlier to ascertain facts had submitted its interim report.

The committee comprised the Forest Survey of India director, a senior scientist from the Union Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, the state's chief secretary or his representative and the Meerut district magistrate.

"The interim report states that as per the information furnished by the irrigation department, 17,607 trees have been cut in all three districts till August 9, 2024," said the bench, also comprising judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member A Senthil Vel.

The tribunal noted that while permission was granted to fell 1,12,722 trees, it had later been decided to cut only 33,776 trees.

It said, "The state of UP is directed to clarify if the number of trees to be cut has been calculated strictly in accordance with the provisions of the UP Protection of Trees Act." The tribunal directed the additional chief secretary of the state's environment department to file an affidavit within two weeks, stating the number of trees that will be cut in the course of the construction of the route.

"It will also be clearly stated if trees have been cut beyond the width of 15 to 20 metres and, if yes, the person responsible for it," it added.

"Considering the fact that the seriousness of the issue relating to a public project, the joint committee is expected to complete the exercise as directed, expeditiously and submit the final report without any delay," the tribunal added.

The tribunal also noted the Surveyor General's earlier statement on October 16 about conducting a drone survey to identify the extent of trees cut on both sides of the canals.

It, however, said, "From the report submitted by the Survey of India that information cannot be gathered." "Hence, we direct the Surveyor General, Survey of India, to trace out the satellite imagery of the stretches under consideration for the year 2024 (till October 2024) and file a fresh report showing the comparative position of trees which were existing in 2023 and trees fell till October 2024 in the stretches under consideration." The matter has been posted for further proceedings on November 25.

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