3 June 2024: In a significant move aimed at easing congestion, the Uttar Pradesh government has informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) of its plan to fell at least 33,000 fully grown trees to construct the Ghaziabad-Meerut-Muzaffarnagar Kanwar pilgrimage route, multiple reports said.
The Kanwar Yatra, an annual pilgrimage undertaken by devotees of the Hindu deity Shiva, sees millions of Kanwariyas travel hundreds of kilometers on foot. They collect water from the Ganga near Haridwar and carry it back to their home states for temple offerings. This massive movement of pilgrims, particularly from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Madhya Pradesh to Uttarakhand, has led to significant traffic disruptions.
The state government noted that approximately 10 million Kanwariyas from Uttar Pradesh alone participate in the pilgrimage each year. The proposed route spans 111 kilometers across the districts of Ghaziabad, Meerut, and Muzaffarnagar, regions that experience severe congestion during the pilgrimage period.
The NGT took suo motu cognizance of the matter following the Union environment ministry’s approval for the felling of a total of 110,000 trees and plants for the project. An unnamed government official stated, “This route through the three districts is classified as ‘very crowded’ for both common people and devotees,” emphasizing the necessity for the alternate route.
The government had initially proposed the alternate route in 2018, aimed at decongesting the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway during the pilgrimage. To mitigate the environmental impact, the state has allocated 222 hectares in Lalitpur district for afforestation and deposited Rs 1.5 crore with the forest department.
The NGT has requested further details from the state public works department, the forest department, the Union environment ministry, and the district magistrates of Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, and Ghaziabad to thoroughly assess the project’s implications.
