Decision maker:
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of India
National Green Tribunal - Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava
Chief Minister, Government of Uttar Pradesh - Yogi Adityanath
Chief Secretary, Government of Uttar Pradesh - Manoj Kumar Singh
Additional Chief Secretary, EF&CC Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh - Manoj Singh
Principal Chief Conservator of Forest & HoFF, Uttar Pradesh - Sudhir Kumar Sharma
Principal secretary, Public works Department, Uttar Pradesh - Ajay Chauhan
Demands:
Release the Environment Impact Assessment report and make it accessible to the public
Pass a stay order on the felling of the trees keeping ecological cost in mind
The Uttar Pradesh government informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) there are plans to chop over 33,000 fully grown trees and 78,946 plants for the 111 km Kanwar route project that will span Ghaziabad, Meerut, and Muzaffarnagar. [1] The project includes the construction of 10 major bridges, 27 minor bridges, and one railway over bridge and will cost a whopping INR 658 crores.
The plan to chop such a huge number of trees comes at a time when several states of India have been engulfed by a severe heatwave for weeks now. The scorching temperatures have claimed over 200 lives, all suspected with heat-related illnesses. In Odisha, over 45 deaths were reported in a single day, taking the total tally to 145! [2] In UP’s Mirzapur district alone, 13 people are suspected to have died from heatstroke, with many officers on polling duty impacted by the intense heat.
What’s the issue?
Nearly 10 million Kanwariyas from UP take part in the pilgrimage every year in the month of Shravan, where they travel hundreds of kilometers from their homes in different states to Uttarakhand and back, the state government informed the NGT.
The National Green Tribunal has taken suo motu cognisance of the matter after the Union environment ministry (MoEFCC) had previously allowed the UP government to cut a total 1,10,000 trees and plants for the project across the three districts.
The next hearing has been scheduled for July 2024 and the NGT has asked the UP government for a detailed breakdown of the project, including the trees that are slated to be chopped.
The state government outlined the necessity of this project, even after the NGT had earlier pointed out the lack of environmental compliances associated with it.
Why is action against this important?
Trees help mitigate the heat-island effect by lowering the surface and air temperatures by providing shade and cooling through evaporation and transpiration, also called evapotranspiration. Merciless felling of thousands of trees will adversely impact the ecology of the region. Temperatures will continue to rise, rain patterns will get disrupted and the air will become even more toxic. We must draw a balance between development and ecological preservation.
To compensate for the environmental cost of the project, the UP government has identified 222 hectares for afforestation in Lalitpur district, kilometers away from where the trees will be chopped. However, this will not be commensurate compensation for the cost of the project being undertaken. The government also claims to have deposited Rs 1.5 crore with the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA).
This is why we are urging authorities to pass a stay order on this proposed project. Additionally, we are also demanding that the Environment Impact Assessment report, if any, be released in public domain!
Sign the petition to save these magnificent trees from facing the axe!
P.S. As a non-profit organization, our ability to carry out essential initiatives rests on the generosity of individuals like you. If 100 people, including you, contribute Rs 1,000 each, we will be able to continue campaigning against issues like these that entail such high ecological costs! Support us today
Sources:
33k fully grown trees to be cut for Kanwar route, UP tells NGT | Ghaziabad News - Times of India
Heatwave Claims Over 200 Lives Across India, 99 Deaths Reported Within 72 Hrs; Odisha Worst Hit
UP govt plans to cut 33,000 trees for Kanwar route project, informs NGT
Religion over environment? UP govt plans to cut 33k trees for Kanwar route
33,776 Trees to Be Cut for New Road for Pilgrims, Uttar Pradesh Tells NGT: Report
Odisha reports 45 more heatstroke deaths in 24 hrs, pushes up India toll to 211 | Bhubaneswar News
Decision maker:
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of India
National Green Tribunal - Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava
Chief Minister, Government of Uttar Pradesh - Yogi Adityanath
Chief Secretary, Government of Uttar Pradesh - Manoj Kumar Singh
Additional Chief Secretary, EF&CC Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh - Manoj Singh
Principal Chief Conservator of Forest & HoFF, Uttar Pradesh - Sudhir Kumar Sharma
Principal secretary, Public works Department, Uttar Pradesh - Ajay Chauhan
Demands:
Release the Environment Impact Assessment report and make it accessible to the public
Pass a stay order on the felling of the trees keeping ecological cost in mind
The Uttar Pradesh government informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) there are plans to chop over 33,000 fully grown trees and 78,946 plants for the 111 km Kanwar route project that will span Ghaziabad, Meerut, and Muzaffarnagar. [1] The project includes the construction of 10 major bridges, 27 minor bridges, and one railway over bridge and will cost a whopping INR 658 crores.
The plan to chop such a huge number of trees comes at a time when several states of India have been engulfed by a severe heatwave for weeks now. The scorching temperatures have claimed over 200 lives, all suspected with heat-related illnesses. In Odisha, over 45 deaths were reported in a single day, taking the total tally to 145! [2] In UP’s Mirzapur district alone, 13 people are suspected to have died from heatstroke, with many officers on polling duty impacted by the intense heat.
What’s the issue?
Nearly 10 million Kanwariyas from UP take part in the pilgrimage every year in the month of Shravan, where they travel hundreds of kilometers from their homes in different states to Uttarakhand and back, the state government informed the NGT.
The National Green Tribunal has taken suo motu cognisance of the matter after the Union environment ministry (MoEFCC) had previously allowed the UP government to cut a total 1,10,000 trees and plants for the project across the three districts.
The next hearing has been scheduled for July 2024 and the NGT has asked the UP government for a detailed breakdown of the project, including the trees that are slated to be chopped.
The state government outlined the necessity of this project, even after the NGT had earlier pointed out the lack of environmental compliances associated with it.
Why is action against this important?
Trees help mitigate the heat-island effect by lowering the surface and air temperatures by providing shade and cooling through evaporation and transpiration, also called evapotranspiration. Merciless felling of thousands of trees will adversely impact the ecology of the region. Temperatures will continue to rise, rain patterns will get disrupted and the air will become even more toxic. We must draw a balance between development and ecological preservation.
To compensate for the environmental cost of the project, the UP government has identified 222 hectares for afforestation in Lalitpur district, kilometers away from where the trees will be chopped. However, this will not be commensurate compensation for the cost of the project being undertaken. The government also claims to have deposited Rs 1.5 crore with the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA).
This is why we are urging authorities to pass a stay order on this proposed project. Additionally, we are also demanding that the Environment Impact Assessment report, if any, be released in public domain!
Sign the petition to save these magnificent trees from facing the axe!
P.S. As a non-profit organization, our ability to carry out essential initiatives rests on the generosity of individuals like you. If 100 people, including you, contribute Rs 1,000 each, we will be able to continue campaigning against issues like these that entail such high ecological costs! Support us today
Sources:
33k fully grown trees to be cut for Kanwar route, UP tells NGT | Ghaziabad News - Times of India
Heatwave Claims Over 200 Lives Across India, 99 Deaths Reported Within 72 Hrs; Odisha Worst Hit
UP govt plans to cut 33,000 trees for Kanwar route project, informs NGT
Religion over environment? UP govt plans to cut 33k trees for Kanwar route
33,776 Trees to Be Cut for New Road for Pilgrims, Uttar Pradesh Tells NGT: Report
Odisha reports 45 more heatstroke deaths in 24 hrs, pushes up India toll to 211 | Bhubaneswar News