 "Yogi Adityanath, Yogi, UP CM")
The UP government has informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that over 33,000 fully grown trees will be cut for the 111 km Kanwar route project spanning Ghaziabad, Meerut, and Muzaffarnagar, according to a report by The Times of India.
The NGT panel, chaired by Prakash Srivastava with Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member A Senthil Vel, has requested more details from the government by the next hearing on July 8.
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change permitted the state government to cut 110,000 trees and plants for the project in these districts, the news report mentioned.
Taking suo motu cognizance, the tribunal sought specifics from the principal conservator of forests, the ministry, the public works department, and the district magistrates of the three districts. Although the government provided details, the tribunal requested a more detailed breakdown.
The government explained to the NGT that the Kanwar route is for about 10 million devotees returning to various cities and villages in UP, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, and MP after collecting water from the Ganga in Haridwar.
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“This route is classified as ‘very crowded’ for both common people and devotees. A total of 54 villages in Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, and Ghaziabad lie along this route, causing significant traffic disruption during the month of Shravan,” TOI cited the government as saying.
However, the green court had previously raised substantial issues relating to compliance with environmental norms. “The state government has earmarked 222 hectares for afforestation in Lalitpur district and deposited Rs 1.5 crore to the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA). We will inform the court about the rules we have adhered to,” a PWD official said.
The Kanwar route, proposed in 2018, serves as an alternative to the usual road through western UP and Uttarakhand districts along the Upper Ganga canal. In 2020, the government’s expenditure and finance committee approved the project.
The route will feature 10 major bridges, 27 minor ones, and one railway overbridge. Most bridges on the Ganga canal were constructed around 1850.
Last year, the UP government had banned the open sale of meat along the Kanwar Yatra routes. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had issued this directive during a review meeting with senior officials, including police commissioners, divisional commissioners, district magistrates, and superintendents of police, ahead of the festival season.
