The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday issued notices to the Centre and the Delhi government on a petition citing non-compliance of its earlier order for removal of concrete from around trees and freeing them of nails, advertisements and cables.
The tribunal also issued notices to the forest department of Uttar Pradesh, the NOIDA authority, and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for indiscriminate felling of trees for its projects and developmental work. The notices were issued on a petition filed by NGO ‘Friends’, through its general secretary Sharad Tiwari. Mr. Tiwari told the tribunal that a large number of trees had been felled in Noida in the name of pruning and despite the tribunal’s order to remove encroachments from around the trees.
He cited the example of residential projects in Noida and said, “At some apartments such as Jeevan Ashray Apartment (Sector-62), Vasant Apartment (Sector-62), and Jalvayu Vihar Society (Sectors-21 and 25), a large number of trees have been felled and no action has been taken by the government department concerned against the offenders.”
Relying on a newspaper report, the petitioner said, reports sent by the independent consultants to the NHAI reveal that 49,200 trees had been felled on the Allahabad bypass project till December 2014, but only 25,364 trees have been replanted.
Further in U.P., the situation is bad as 16,854 trees had been chopped off on NH 24-B by June 2014, but no re-plantation has been carried out.
“As many as 26,482 trees have been felled in the State of U.P. and in Haryana, 61,029 trees had been felled on the Delhi-Agra NH-2 project till September 2014. But no plantation has been done till date,” the petition said.
The petitioner said reports sent by the independent consultants to the NHAI reveal that 49,200 trees had been felled on the Allahabad bypass project till December 2014
