SC strict statement on illegal cutting of trees that trees should be counted in Taj Trapezium Zone
Supreme Court News: During the hearing of a case, the Supreme Court said that the illegal cutting of trees in the Taj Trapezium Zone is not acceptable. The court said that the existing trees in the TTZ should be counted. At the same time, the court also said that a mechanism should be created to keep an eye on this. At the same time, SC ordered that the number of trees present here should be counted.
The Supreme Court commented on the illegal cutting of trees in the Taj Trapezium Zone on Friday. The Supreme Court emphasized that the existing trees in the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) should be counted and there should be no illegal cutting of trees. At the same time, the court ordered that a mechanism should be created to keep an eye on this.
In fact, TTZ is an area of about 10,400 square kilometers which is spread over Agra, Firozabad, Mathura, Hathras, and Etah districts in Uttar Pradesh and Bharatpur districts of Rajasthan. Justice Abhay S. The bench of Justices A.K. Oka and Augustine George Masih made the above comment on the petition raising the issue of illegal felling of trees in TTZ.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, who appeared for the concerned officials, told the bench that the monitoring work can either be carried out by the empowered committee of the Center or the Forest Department of the State.
Amicus curiae and senior advocate ADN Rao suggested that the concerned SHO is to be made personally liable for tree felling. On this, the bench said that this can be done but no data on existing trees is available as of now.
After this, the bench said that till the trees are not counted, this issue will not be resolved. The Supreme Court has fixed November 29 as the date for the next hearing of this case.
The court heard the case on November 14. During this hearing, the bench had said that if its direction regarding mandatory afforestation in TTZ is not complied with by the officials, then it will order the demolition of the land or highways and restoration of their original condition.
