The Wire Staff 
New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken a strong stance against the Uttar Pradesh government, directing the chief secretary to investigate allegations of illegal tree felling for the proposed Kanwar Marg project between Meerut in Uttar Pradesh and Purkaji, near Uttarakhand. The project, which spans 111 km, has already resulted in the felling of over 17,000 trees.
At the heart of the issue is a report submitted by the Forest Survey of India’s (FSI’s) joint director, Meera Iyer, which alleges that trees were cut down beyond the permitted 20-meter stretch. The NGT has taken cognizance of the report and directed the state government on February 25 to verify the claims and take action against those responsible.
“Ms Meera Iyer has filed a separate response on 20.02.2025 stating that the Forest Survey of India has identified several locations where tree felling had exceeded 20 meters. She has also enclosed the photographs, especially on page 2021 onwards, showing the position of the stretch in 2022 and satellite image of May 2024 disclosing that trees beyond 20 meters have been cut,” the NGT mentioned in its order, as per a report published by The Indian Express.
The project has been mired in controversy, with allegations that the environment ministry granted approval without public consultation. The NGT has also raised concerns about the diversion of protected forest land – over 222 hectares are set to be diverted for the project.
Earlier, the NGT had formed a joint committee to investigate if trees were cut down beyond the allowed 20-meter stretch for the Kanwar Marg project. The committee submitted its report in January, but the FSI representatives – who were members of the same committee – refused to sign it, as per IE.
The NGT bench, led by chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, then gave the FSI joint director Iyer the freedom to submit a separate report if she disagreed with the committee’s findings. However, the Uttar Pradesh government argued that the NGT didn’t explicitly ask the FSI director to appoint a representative, making the joint director’s report irrelevant. The tribunal rejected this argument, stating that the joint director’s competence wasn’t the issue, especially since allegations of illegal tree felling had already been made.
“We are of the opinion that once it has been disclosed in the report of such a high officer that in certain stretches felling of trees beyond 20 metres has been done and satellite images have been enclosed, then the competent authority of the state must verify it, ascertain its correctness and if illegal felling of trees beyond 20 metres has taken place then take appropriate action against those who are responsible for such illegal felling of trees,” the order stated, as per IE.