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Cases registered over felling of 300 trees in Vrindavan
Apart from this, a separate FIR was lodged under sections 29, 33, 41, 42, and 51 of the Indian Forest Act 1927 by the regional forest officer at the Jaint police station for the felling of 300 trees on land bearing revenue numbers 107, 242, 243, 244, 246, 248, 249, 253, 254, 255, and 256.
AGRA: On the complaint of Mathura Vrindavan Development Authority officials, a case has been registered against unidentified persons at the Jaint police station in Mathura district for damaging the iron grill placed by UP Braj Teerth Vikas Parishad to protect the plants in the area adjoining Vrindavan Chatikara Road. The MVDA officials took action after concerns were raised by environmentalists in the Braj region over the felling of about 300 trees near the Vaishno Devi temple in Vrindavan.
An official from the Mathura Vrindavan Development Authority, in its FIR, alleged that during a spot inspection on September 19, it was found that an iron grill laid at the instruction of UP Braj Teerth Vikas Parishad was damaged at 14 places over a length of 100 meters, causing harm to the trees planted in the green belt. The case has been registered under sections 3 and 5 of the Damage to Public Property Act 1984 against the unidentified persons.
Apart from this, a separate FIR was lodged under sections 29, 33, 41, 42, and 51 of the Indian Forest Act 1927 by the regional forest officer at the Jaint police station for the felling of 300 trees on land bearing revenue numbers 107, 242, 243, 244, 246, 248, 249, 253, 254, 255, and 256.
The regional forest officer alleged that land within a farmhouse owned by a business house is being planned for plotting by builders and forest mafia, for which about 300 trees were cut, leaving remnants of standing trees.
Green activists in the Braj region have drawn the attention of the chief minister to the felling of trees within a night, taking advantage of the rains and darkness, recently near the Vaishno Devi Temple in Vrindavan.
“This has caused significant anger among environmentalists in Agra and Mathura. The city of Vrindavan is known for its temples, kunj gali (narrow lanes), and forest regions with greenery, but this very green cover is being damaged due to the rampant construction work occurring in this religious city without considering the long-term effects of such incidents,” stated Brij Khandelwal, an environmentalist residing in Agra.
Another activist Padmini Aiyyar said, “We need to motivate common people to counter such attacks on the ecosystem, and a collective effort is needed to stop this.”
