New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday said the overnight felling of 454 trees’ in Mathura is a "shocking state of affairs", and banned tree cutting even with the prior permission between 6pm and 8am the next day in the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ).
The TTZ, an area of 10,400 square-kilometre approximately, spread across Agra, Firozabad, Mathura, Hathras, and Etah districts in Uttar Pradesh and Bharatpur district in Rajasthan.
The matter came up before a bench comprising justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih.
The apex court issued a contempt notice to a private party, Dalmia Farms, which felled 422 trees on a private land besides felling 32 trees of the protected forest, during the intervening night of September 18 and 19.
After perusing the report of the Central Empowered Committee (CEC), Justice Oka said the report "discloses shocking state of affairs that 454 trees were illegally felled on the night of September 18-19, 2024. Out of which 422 were on private land known as Dalmia Farms, district Mathura, and remaining 32 trees were part of protected forest."
The bench said the report has also annexed the details of the trees and from the report it appears that this blatant illegal action has been taken by persons named in the report, which is in violation of the order of the apex court dated May 8, 2015.
The bench said the persons mentioned in the paragraph 8 of the report are guilty of civil contempt, hence we issue notice returnable on December 16, and a status quo be maintained at the site.
The bench directed the superintendent of police of Mathura District to direct the SHO concerned to visit the site and confiscate the timber as per law and ensure no further tree felling.
The bench asked the Uttar Pradesh government to consider amending the provision of the Uttar Pradesh Tree Protection Act of 1976 to enhance the penalty provision for tree felling and for compounding of offences in lieu of penalty for it to exert a deterrent effect.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhatti, representing the Uttar Pradesh government, said action had been initiated against the owners of the private land for the tree felling under the UP Trees Act of 1976, Environment Protection Act, the Forest Act and the Wildlife Protection Act. Bhati contended that the court should enhance the penalty for tree felling in the TTZ area to deter people from cutting trees illegally.
