Allegedly cutting down around a thousand fully-grown trees on the premises of a closed factory in Greater Noida without due permission from the forest department has landed a real-estate giant, which had purchased the property, in trouble. District Forest Officer (DFO) Pramod Srivastav told The Indian Express on Monday that strong action will be taken against the company, Shakuntalam Group, over the felling of trees in Surajpur area. The move came after Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF), Meerut, Ramesh Chandra wrote a letter to the DFO last week, asking him to enquire into the matter within a week. Earlier, an FIR was lodged by the forest department after an environment activist, Vikrant Tongad, had alleged that more than 1,000 trees were allegedly cut on the premises of a factory compound, previously owned by South Korean automobile maker Daewoo Motors in Surajpur. The varieties of trees included Neem, Peepal, Siris and Banyan. Tongad told The Indian Express that though Shakuntalam Group had acquired the premises, the trees were not owned by the firm. “The trees have been cut here without NoC (No-Objection Certificate) from the forest department. This is illegal,” he said. Srivastav said his department has written back to the CCF, adding around 980 trees were cut from the premises without due permission. “We have also confiscated a truck loaded with timber. The company does not have any official document to prove its ownership of the premise,” he added. Pradeep Chaudhary, a manager with the Shakuntalam Group, said the premises have been officially acquired by the firm. “We have taken the land. As far as tree felling on the premises is concerned, it is under investigation so I would not comment,” he said.
