National Desk
15 October
Sandeep Dhand Ludhiana
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Surveyor General of India to assess the extent of forest damage due to tree felling in Uttar Pradesh. The trees were allegedly cut down over the past year for constructing a special road for crows from Muradnagar to Purkazi.
On October 4, NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Srivastava, along with judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member A Senthil Vel, issued orders for an aerial survey using drones. The tribunal instructed that the survey should be completed within 30 days to determine the damage caused to forests in Ghaziabad, Meerut, and Muzaffarnagar districts.
The case came to light based on a newspaper report that claimed the Uttar Pradesh government had approved the felling of 1.12 lakh trees along the Upper Ganga Canal. The NGT took suo motu action after learning about the extensive deforestation in the protected forest area.
Earlier, on September 20, the NGT imposed a symbolic fine of Rs 1 on the head of the Survey of India for failing to appear before the tribunal. The next hearing of the case is scheduled for November 6.