No illegal felling of trees on Kanwar Marg: UP Government tells NGT
NGT is examining the issue of felling of more than 1 lakh trees and shrubs in the protected forest area of three forest divisions– Ghaziabad, Meerut and Muzaffarnagar for construction of two lanes of 111 km "Kawar Marg" from Muradnagar to Purkaji near Uttarakhand border.
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“Traffic census conducted by PWD on the existing road at the left side of the canal is also one of the parameters duly tested on the anvil for the necessity of another road,” the report said. (Express Photo by Kamleshwar Singh)Denying the allegations about illegal felling of trees, Uttar Pradesh government Wednesday said that the width of the proposed road of 20 meters, at some places, has been reduced to 15 meters to minimise the felling of trees.
“No illegal activity of cutting unauthorised trees shall be done by the department as environment protection is the duty of state…Nearly 3,000 trees have been saved from felling till date by way of reducing the width of the road to 15 meters,” said UP’s PWD in an affidavit before NGT.
NGT is examining the issue of felling of more than 1 lakh trees and shrubs in the protected forest area of three forest divisions– Ghaziabad, Meerut and Muzaffarnagar for construction of two lanes of 111 km “Kawar Marg” from Muradnagar to Purkaji near Uttarakhand border.
The petitioners have said that illegal felling of trees in the garb of widening the roads is taking place and the trees have been cut up to the width of 40 meteres, while there is a permission for only up to 20/15 meters.
While explaining the scheme, the department said that there is more traffic after crossing Muzaffarnagar as this is the first district, on the route, prime in importance where Industrial/Commercial activities are at crescendo.
“It also can not be ignored that not only traffic from Haridwar, but also from Saharanpur, Shamli, Bijnor & other diverted inroads Haryana gets merged at Muzaffarnagar towards Delhi and there are two routes for Delhi from Muzaffarnagar, one is NH-58 and another is Ganga Canal route.
The decision to build a Kanwar Marg at the right shoulder of the upper Ganga Canal was taken in 2017 with a specific direction that “the road that will be built on both sides of the canal shall be built specifically keeping in mind the purpose and objectives of the Kanwar Yatra.”
There is already a road existing on the left side of the canal. PWD said after the new Kanwar marg, The traffic coming from Haridwar towards Muradnagar via the existing road on the left side shall be diverted to the road under construction on the right side through traffic crossing more than 20 in numbers and as such the traffic on both sides of the canal may be set at ease.
“Traffic census conducted by PWD on the existing road at the left side of the canal is also one of the parameters duly tested on the anvil for the necessity of another road,” the report said.
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