The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken suo motu cognisance of the proposed felling of over 112,000 trees/plants along the proposed 111km Upper Ganga Canal road project, stretching from Muradnagar to Purkaji near Haridwar. The responding agencies have been given three weeks to determine the nature of this road. The issue came to light on February 1, detailing how the forest department of the Uttar Pradesh government permitted the felling of over 100,000 trees and shrubs in the protected forests of Ghaziabad, Meerut, and Muzaffarnagar to facilitate the construction of two lanes of the road.
In the latest hearing on May 31, the tribunal stated that it is currently examining the classification of the proposed road as a national highway, state highway, major district road, or other district road (ODR). The state of UP claims that the road in question has been classified as an ODR. However, the tribunal emphasized the need for a clear understanding of the entire length of the road and other relevant details to determine the accurate position.
According to the tribunal's order, the complete project report, reflecting the nature of the road, will be submitted within three weeks. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of India (MoEF&CC) has also requested three weeks to file a response, disclosing the nature and classification of the road, as well as the criteria used for classification.
