2025.05.14 (Vrindavan Today News): Even as the legal dust has yet to settle on the controversial felling of 454 green trees in Dalmia Bagh, Vrindavan, another ecological tragedy appears to be unfolding—this time along the Agra-Delhi National Highway, near Chaumuha. On a privately-owned stretch of approximately 11.5 acres of land adjacent to a major educational institution, scores of fully-grown trees are reportedly being cut down, followed by soil levelling—despite a standing notice from the Forest Department and the area’s inclusion within the environmentally sensitive Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ).
The matter came into sharp focus again on Monday when disturbing video footage surfaced on social media, showing live scenes of tree-cutting and harrowing machinery levelling the cleared land. The video prompted an immediate response from local forest authorities, whose teams rushed to the site for on-ground inspection.
According to official sources, the Forest Department had previously issued a formal notice to the landowner after a detailed exposé was published in the local media. The report, titled “Another Dalmia Bagh in the Making on the Highway,” had highlighted the construction-like preparations at the site, including the installation of a tin shed around the property—allegedly to conceal ongoing illegal activities. However, even after 20 days, the landowner has neither responded to the notice nor ceased operations.
Talking to ‘Vrindavan Today’ the District Forest Officer confirmed, “We took cognizance of the situation immediately after the matter came to our notice. A notice was issued to the landowner, but no reply has been received so far. A team is being dispatched urgently. If it is verified that trees, which fall under protected categories, are indeed being cut, a formal report will be filed.”
The land, reportedly purchased by a prominent businessman based in Mumbai, hosts hundreds of mature green trees. Its location within the Taj Trapezium Zone—a 10,400 sq km area covering several districts around the Taj Mahal, including Mathura—places it under strict environmental protection. As per existing regulations, no tree-felling is permitted in the zone without the approval from the Supreme Court of India.
Environmentalists and local residents alike have raised alarm over the repeated violation of TTZ norms. “The area has seen continuous tree cutting over the last several days,” one resident said, requesting anonymity. “Smaller trees are being cut first, followed by land being levelled using harrow machines.”
What adds gravity to the situation is the legal precedent set by the Dalmia Bagh case, currently pending before the Supreme Court of India. That incident not only drew nationwide condemnation but also resulted in a court-imposed penalty of ₹4.54 crore on the parties involved.
Despite clear legal restrictions, robust media reporting, and departmental notices, the encroachment upon ecologically significant land in and around Mathura appears unabated. With repeated patterns of silence from the landowners and delayed enforcement from the authorities, questions arise: How long can such brazen disregard for environmental regulations go unchecked? And at what cost to India’s rapidly dwindling green cover?
As videos continue to circulate online and citizen outrage mounts, the Forest Department’s next steps could set an important precedent—or risk becoming yet another example of bureaucratic inaction in the face of environmental crisis.
