Supreme Court slammed UP Govt on issue of Green Cover project and preservation of trees surrounding Taj Mahal

New  Delhi: The UP (Uttar Pradesh) Government was slammed on this Friday by the honourable Apex Judicial authority- SC, for its neglecting the most concerned issue of depleting ‘Green Cover’ around the most significant historical monument ‘Taj Mahal’. It was also asked by the Bench comprising of Justice, T. S. Thakur and Justice C. Nagappan to the concerned State Government being UP Government to involve civil society on the matters of planting and preserving the Trees in the TTZ (Taj Trapezium Zone) for protecting from pollution, the White Marble Mausoleum.

It was observed by the said Bench of the Apex Court that the concerned Government of UP is seemed cutting the Trees from the Taj Trapezium Zone from about 19 years. However, despite the assurance given to the Court by the Government that there will be compulsory afforestation done, the said Government is failing in planting saplings in that Zone. It was noted by the Committee appointed by the Court that there is not even a single sapling planted, even there was an order of the Court to plant above 2.58 lakh plants. As such the Committee pointed that there is a violation of Court’s order.

On an apology claimed by the State Government of Uttar Pradesh, the Court asked the Government that what they were doing since from nineteen years? and why that Government was sleeping for those 19 years? And pointing negligence of the Government, it was also asked to the Government, that is this a way of complying with the Court’s order? And Court even said that the Government would not have come out and accept its mistake, if the Court had not threatened it to order the CBI probe in the case.

It was stated from the side of the Government that by upcoming two years, it had planed to plant  6.10 lakhs of saplings in six districts surrounding the ‘Taj’, out of which 3.62 lakhs saplings are to be plated by it by the end of this August and the land for such plantation have been located by the Government. Also twenty crores of rupees has also been allocated by the Government for said purpose.

However, it was further pointed by the Court that plating trees will not only be sufficient, but there should also be made efforts by the Government as to preservation of those plants. Pointing this, the Court suggested to involve civil society, such as villagers, panchayat, Municipal entities, school children for taking care of those plats, otherwise the allocated amount of 20 crores will go down the drains.

The Court further directed monitoring the project and submission of reports to the Court for every 3 month’s gap, by the Principal Secretary to the State’s Forest Department.

by Faim Khalilkhan Pathan.