The Supreme Court ordered an urgent investigation into illegal tree cutting in the Taj Trapezium Zone near the Taj Mahal, directing authorities to act immediately with police protection. The case will be further reviewed on March 25.
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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India ordered an urgent investigation into claims of illegal tree cutting in the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ), a special area around the Taj Mahal where pollution-causing activities are banned to protect the historical monument.
A panel of two judges, Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, instructed the Taj Trapezium Authority to immediately send officials to the location to check if any trees have been cut or if the activity is still happening.
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The investigation must be completed within three weeks.
To ensure that the Court’s order is followed, the judges also directed that police protection must be given to the officials.
“The contention for learned counsel appearing for applicant is that the land mentioned in environmental clearance at Annexure A4 is part of Taj Trapezium area, on which tree felling activity has been done. We direct the third respondent, Taj Trapezium authority, to immediately depute its officers to the site, with a view to ascertain whether any tree felling activity has been done or any tree felling activity continues. Necessary police protection shall be provided,”
-the order said.
The Court also made it clear that the authorities, with the support of the police, must stop any more tree cutting from taking place in the area.
“We make it clear that Taj Trapezium authority with the help of Police will ensure that no tree felling activity takes place on the land subject matter of Annexure A4,”
-the Court directed.
This order was issued while hearing a case that claimed unauthorized tree cutting had taken place on land inside the TTZ.
ALSO READ: Supreme Court Stresses State and Citizen Responsibility in Tree Protection
The Taj Trapezium Zone covers an area of 10,400 square kilometers around the Taj Mahal and other historical monuments in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. It was established to control pollution and protect these heritage sites from environmental damage.
In 1996, the Supreme Court had ordered a large-scale tree plantation in the TTZ to improve air quality. It had also directed the closure or relocation of over 200 industries that caused pollution and required the use of cleaner fuels like CNG and LPG in the area.
ALSO READ: Supreme Court Hears The ‘Taj Trapezium Case’ Involving Illegal Tree Felling
To further protect the Taj Mahal, the Court had also imposed restrictions on vehicle movement, encouraged the use of battery-operated vehicles, and banned construction and mining activities near the monument.
During the hearing on March 5, the judges raised serious concerns about a previous Supreme Court order from December 11, 2019. That order had allowed tree cutting for agro-forestry purposes without the need for prior approval from the Court.
The judges questioned how such an exemption was granted when even ordinary citizens needed permission to cut just two or three trees.
This issue will be further examined on March 25.
CASE TITLE:
MC Mehta V. Union of India
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