In a significant move to address environmental concerns, the Uttar Pradesh public works department (PWD) has decided to reduce the area designated for tree felling in the proposed 111 km Upper Ganga Canal (UGC) road project. Originally, the project threatened the cutting of approximately 112,722 trees and shrubs across the districts of Ghaziabad, Meerut, and Muzaffarnagar. The revised plans aim to decrease the felling area by 25%, potentially saving around 10% of the trees in the process.
Ram Raja, executive engineer of the PWD, stated, "Considering the tribunal's guidance to save as many trees as possible, the previous felling width of 20 meters has been reduced to 15 meters. While final assessments will confirm the exact number of saved trees, we estimate that about 10% could be preserved."
The project, which entails constructing two lanes of the road (known as Kanwar Marg), is budgeted at ?6.58 billion. Official estimates indicate that the felling will involve approximately 16,873 trees in Muzaffarnagar, 66,685 in Meerut, and 29,164 in Ghaziabad.
Additionally, a proposal has been put forth to transplant around 400 trees, with 86 already relocated in Ghaziabad. Isha Tiwari, divisional forest officer, remarked, "While we cannot provide precise figures, the reduced width will lead to a notable number of saved trees."
As the felling activities commence in Ghaziabad, the NGT has ordered the Survey of India to provide satellite images to ascertain the actual extent of tree cutting. Environmentalists have raised alarms regarding the potential loss of mature trees and the broader impact on local wildlife and biodiversity.
Sushil Raghav, an environmental advocate, emphasized, "The felling of any trees along the canal will adversely affect the environment and disrupt wildlife habitats. Only through satellite imagery can we accurately gauge the impact of this project."
In earlier proceedings, the NGT had instructed the UP forest department and local authorities to provide detailed reports on the planned tree removals. In total, the felling is expected to occur over approximately 222.98 hectares across the three districts.
As part of compensatory afforestation efforts, the report submitted to the tribunal proposed planting 484,720 saplings across Lalitpur, Mirzapur, and Sonbhadra?districts located between 550 and 848 kilometers from Ghaziabad. However, environmentalists remain skeptical about the effectiveness of such measures, urging for more robust protections for the region?s old-growth trees.
