Noida: Residents oppose joining of tiles to uproot trees

NOIDA: The Gautam Budh Nagar District Development Association (DDRWA) has opposed the felling of trees in the industrial sector of Noida, a move aimed at facilitating the jointing of roof tiles in Sector 57 of Noida.

Several trees were cut on the main road dividing Sectors 57 and 58, near Labour Chowk.

Citing the environmental and aesthetic benefits of trees, DDRWA claims that apart from providing oxygen, they also enhance the beauty of the city. The body has filed a complaint with the Noida authorities, seeking appropriate action and an eco-friendly alternative to the requirement.

“It was shocking to see the contractor felling several fully grown trees in the area to make way for laying tiles. These trees not only provided shade and beauty but also provided habitat for birds. It is difficult to understand how the authorities allowed this without finding alternative solutions,” said Sanjeev Kumar, vice-president, DDRWA.

“I demand that the authorities take action against the responsible contractor and impose a severe penalty on him for causing damage to the greenery,” he added.

DDRWA covers various sectors in Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway. The exact number of sectors under DDRWA is not fixed as new sectors are developed and added to the association. However, as per the DDRWA website, they currently represent over 200 residential sectors in Gautam Budh Nagar district.

In a letter written to the Noida Authority’s chief executive seeking knowledge of the incident, the authority has sought legal action. Meanwhile, officials said the work is being carried out by a contractor attached to the Noida Authority’s civil department.

“As soon as we received the notice, we reported the incident to the forest department officials and asked the contractor to take legal action. We have asked him to impose environmental compensation on the culprit while directing him to plant trees wherever they were cut,” said Anand Mohan, deputy director, horticulture department, Noida authority.

Environmentalists have also raised concerns about the issue. “We plan to conduct a field visit to the sector on Sunday, after which we will contact the forest department,” said Vikrant Tongad, an environmental activist in Noida.

This is not the first time that tree felling has come to light. A local environmental activist said that despite the actions taken, the practice is widespread.

In April this year, “unidentified persons” had cut down several fully grown trees on the median (divider) of a road in Noida Sector 137. The forest department had registered a case under UP’s Protection of Trees Act, 1976, for the incident of carrying out the exercise without obtaining NOC from the department, HT reported.