NGT seeks nature of 111km road linking Ghaziabad to Uttarakhand border

The tribunal, in May 31 hearing, said at this stage it is examining the issue of the manner of classification of the proposed road

Ghaziabad: In the light of a suo motu cognisance taken by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) regarding proposed felling of over 112,000 trees/plants alongside the proposed 111km Upper Ganga Canal road project (from Muradnagar to Purkaji near Haridwar), the tribunal has given three weeks’ time to the responding agencies to ascertain the nature of this road.

The cognisance of the issue was taken on February 1 on how the UP government’s forest department allowed felling over 100,000 (or 112,722) trees and shrubs in the protected forests of three forest divisions to construct two lanes of the road. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The cognisance of the issue was taken on February 1 from a Hindustan Times report on how the Uttar Pradesh government’s forest department allowed felling over 100,000 (or 112,722) trees and shrubs in the protected forests of three forest divisions — Ghaziabad, Meerut, and Muzaffarnagar — to construct two lanes of the road.

The tribunal, in the latest hearing on May 31 (Friday), said that at this stage it is examining the issue of the manner of classification of the proposed road as national highway, state highway, major districts road, other district road (ODR) etc.

“The stand of the state of UP is that the road in question has been classified as ODR. Unless the clear picture in respect of the entire length of the road and other particulars come on record, it is difficult to ascertain the correct position... Learned additional solicitor general has submitted that the complete project report will be placed on record which will reflect nature of the road, within a period of three weeks. Counsel appearing for MoEF&CC (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of India) has also sought three week’s time to file the response disclosing the nature and classification of the road and the manner in which the roads are classified,” the tribunal said in its order.

The tribunal further directed that Uttar Pradesh is also required to disclose if any authority exists in the state “which classifies/notifies/declares the roads within the state as state highway, district road or ODR, and, if such authority exists, whether it has taken any decision to declare the stretch of road under consideration as state highway, district road or ODR”.

The tribunal further added that on perusal of the report filed by the public works department, state of Uttarakhand, “it is not clear if in the state of Uttarakhand also, any stretch of the road will be constructed to connect with Haridwar. Learned counsel for the state of Uttarakhand is directed to file a fresh affidavit of the competent authority disclosing the above position in clear terms”.

Sanjay Singh, executive-officer of UP public works department and also the nodal-officer of the project, did not take calls for his response on Saturday.

During the first hearing on March 13, the NGT had directed the UP forest department and district magistrates of the three districts, Ghaziabad, Meerut and Muzaffarnagar, to file detailed responses about the trees/plants that need to be felled.

The report submitted before the tribunal states that the felling activity would be taken up on about 222.98 hectares in the three districts.

It was submitted that to compensate for the diversion of 222.98 hectares of protected forest land, the equivalent non-forest land or double degraded land (i.e. 445.96 hectare) was not available in the affected districts of Ghaziabad, Meerut and Muzaffarnagar.

Degraded land is considered to be a land that has lost some degree of its natural productivity due to human-caused processes.

“Therefore, non-forest land and double-degraded land was proposed in Lalitpur, Mirzapur & Sonbhadra districts...,” the report stated.

The districts of Lalitpur, Mirzapur and Sonbhadra are respectively about 550km, 767km and 848km away from Ghaziabad.

The report also mentioned that against the 112,722 trees/plants proposed to be felled for the project, 484,720 saplings will be planted in Lalitpur, Mirzapur and Sonbhadra, and 21,028 plants will be planted in the Meerut district/forest division near the project.