Home Environment Kanwar Route Project: Over 1 Lakh Trees to be Felled

Kanwar Route Project: Over 1 Lakh Trees to be Felled

Kanwar route project: Over 1 lakh trees are set to be felled for development, raising significant environmental concerns. Critics urge re-evaluation amid inadequate stakeholder consultation and the lack of transparency in the process.

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Kanwar project tree felling

Kanwar Route Project: Over 1 Lakh Trees to be Felled | Representative image | Photo courtesy: Special arrangement

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Kanwar route, a pilgrimage route, is set to undergo major development, but at a great environmental cost. More than 1 lakh trees are expected to be felled in the protected forest areas of three forest divisions – Ghaziabad, Meerut, and Muzaffarnagar – for the construction of two lanes of the 111 km Kanwar Marg from Muradnagar to Purkaji near the Uttarakhand border.

The Uttar Pradesh government has informed the National Green Tribunal of its plans to cut down the trees for the Kanwar route project. This project spans Ghaziabad, Meerut, and Muzaffarnagar and includes the construction of 10 major bridges, 27 minor bridges, and one railway overbridge, with a total estimated cost of INR 658 crores.

Environmental Concerns and Development Goals

What is concerning is that this decision has come at a time when several states in India, including Uttar Pradesh, are grappling with severe heat waves. In the past, we revealed many stories about how India, especially Delhi NCR, has seen a hike in heat wave-related deaths this summer.

The UP government has identified 222 hectares for afforestation in Lalitpur district, far from where the trees will be chopped, which is not commensurate compensation for the environmental cost of the project. Roshan Kedar, Associate Director for Campaigns at Jhatkaa.org, states that one can't compare fully grown trees to saplings. "It will take a long time to see the effects of the afforestation. Moreover, the afforestation is happening in Lalitpur. How is this going to help people living in areas where the trees are going to be cut? Delhi and NCR is one of the most polluted places,

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