Trees can be cut to build ropeway in Mathura: SC panel

ONE OF CONDITION IS PLANTING OF 10 TIMES THE NUMBER OF TREES AFFECTED BY PROJECT

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court panel of forest and wildlife has given a green signal to the construction of a passenger ropeway for Radha Rani Temple in Mathura in “public interest” and recommended felling of 102 trees to facilitate the project falling in the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ).

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court panel on forest and wildlife has given a green signal to the construction of a passenger ropeway for Radha Rani Temple in Mathura in “public interest” and recommended felling of 102 trees to facilitate the project falling in the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ).

In a report, recently submitted to the SC, in response to Mathura Vrindavan Development Authority’s (MVDA) application seeking permission to cut the trees, the Central Empowered Committee said: “.. considering that the project is in public interest and no viable alternative to avoid tree felling is feasible, the CEC recommends the court may consider permitting felling of 25 trees from the forest land and 77 from the non-forest land for construction of passenger ropeway.”

Radha Rani temple in Barsana – the birth place of Radha - is on slope of a ridge and is well surrounded by hills from all the four sides. The temple comes alive every Holi around March and tourist from all over flock the city. CEC said the permission to

t t th h ld b subject to strict conditions. One of them is compensatory planting of 10 times the number of trees affected by the project. Enumeration of the existing trees on the forest land and non-forest land that are proposed to be retained will be done by MVDA.

SC is monitoring the development of the area around the world heritage monument Taj. Any commercial or industrial activity cannot proceed without the top court’s intervention. In the past it has issued a series of measures to ensure the historical piece of architecture retrains its glory.

Before the top court, MVDA said the project to have a ropeway for the temple is with the objective to promote religious tourism. It shall be executed under a public-private partnership mode. The total length of the proposed ropeway is 216 metres and it shall require around 1.26 hectares of total land. A total number of 8 cabins having a capacity to carry

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