The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has expressed dissatisfaction with the Uttar Pradesh authorities over their lackadaisical approach to the illegal felling of 980 trees in Greater Noida, summoning the principal chief conservator of forest to present a detailed report virtually on May 13.
During a hearing concerning allegations of unauthorized tree cutting within the premises of the defunct Daewoo Motors company, which ceased operations 22 years ago, the NGT highlighted serious lapses in the enforcement of environmental laws. The tribunal, led by NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, learned that a forest inspection had uncovered evidence of 980 trees being illegally chopped down, yet concrete actions were limited to actions against two vehicles caught transporting timber.
The bench, which also includes Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member Afroz Ahmad, pointed out the insufficient measures taken to track down the bulk of the timber or to identify the culprits responsible for this environmental violation. “Such timber could, at most, be from eight to 10 illegally cut trees. There is no record indicating what action has been taken by the forest department to trace the timber cut from the more than 900 other trees, nor to identify the individuals responsible for their illegal felling,” the tribunal stated.
The NGT criticized the responses from the state’s counsel, indicating a lack of serious commitment to addressing this significant environmental issue. In addition, the divisional forest officer (DFO) of Gautam Buddha Nagar’s separate reply did not satisfactorily disclose efforts to track down those responsible but instead highlighted lapses by two private security guards at a sealed gate.
