Forest dept registers case after trees are axed from central verge in Sector 137

As many as five fully grown neem trees and other plants were chopped by Noida authority staff, said environmentalists. The place, which is a T-point junction, is located on the Felix hospital road in Sector 137

The Gautam Budh Nagar forest department on Tuesday registered a case against ”suspects” after trees and shrubs were chopped from the central verge (divider) of a road in Sector 137.

Noida authority said the trees on the central verge were a hinderance to vehicular movement as these were blocking the driver’s view of the road, thereby increasing chances of accidents (HT Photo)

Officials at Gautam Budh Nagar forest department, when approached by environment activists, said works were being carried out on the central verge without taking approval from the department.

“It has come to fore that tree chopping/pruning was being carried out in Sector 137. However, a no objection certificate (NOC) was not sought from us and thus, an inquiry has been initiated to identify the suspects involved. We have already registered a case under the relevant sections of the UP, Protection of Trees Act, 1976, against the suspects involved, for felling two neem and one pilkhan tree,” divisional forest officer (DFO), Gautam Budh Nagar, Pramod Kumar Srivastava said.

Local environmentalists said the trees were chopped by the Noida authority.

“As many as five fully grown neem trees and other plants were chopped by Noida authority staff. The place, which is a T-point junction, is located on the Felix hospital road in Sector 137,” said local environmentalist Vikrant Tongad.rubs

Noida authority officials said the exercise was necessary in order to avoid accidents at the U-turn in the area.

“The trees on the central verge were a hinderance to vehicular movement as these were blocking the driver’s view of the road, thereby increasing chances of accidents. We have only removed a few shrubs from a part of the central verge that was posing a hinderance to traffic movement. We have cut only a handful of shrubs in public interest. We do not require to obtain a NOC for that,” said a Noida authority official in the civil engineering department, asking not to be named.