The UP government wanted to cut 2,940 trees to widen roads (Representational)
New Delhi:
The Uttar Pradesh government cannot cut down about 3,000 trees in the name of Lord Krishna, the Supreme Court said Wednesday afternoon in an observation that should encourage environmental activists across the country.
“You cannot cut down thousands of trees in the name of Lord Krishna,” Chief Justice of India SA Bobde told the lawyer for the UP government’s Public Works Department.
The state had applied for permission to cut down 2,940 trees to widen roads around a 25 km stretch leading to a Lord Krishna temple in Mathura district, and said it would pay compensation of Rs 138.41 crore.
The state also said that more trees would be planted than cut down, but the court was not impressed, noting that planting a fresh sapling was not the same as cutting down a 100-year-old tree.
“Living trees give oxygen and cannot be evaluated simply on the basis of their value. The oxygen-producing capacity of trees must be evaluated during their remaining useful life,” a three-member bench composed of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court SA Bobde and judges AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian said.
The court also gave the Uttar Pradesh government four weeks to conduct another assessment.
“We want an accurate report from the state,” the court warned the UP government.
The court also dismissed suggestions that trees should be cut down to ensure rapid movement of traffic, noting that “if the speed is slow, it will reduce accidents and it will be safer.”
“The only effect that is likely if trees are held back would be roads that may not be straight and therefore capable of high speed travel. Such an effect may not necessarily be detrimental as high speeds are known to roads cause accidents. ” observed the court.
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