<p>New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday reiterated its 2015 directive restricting tree felling within five-kilometer aerial distance of the Taj Mahal in Agra, Uttar Pradesh without its nod. </p><p>A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, while hearing the plea of by environmental activist M C Mehta, said tree felling in areas within TTZ beyond the five kilometer distance of the historical monument will require the prior permission of the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of the Central Empowered Committee (CEC).</p><p>The Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) is an area of 10,400 square-kilometre approximately, spreads across Agra, Firozabad, Mathura, Hathras, and Etah districts in UP and Bharatpur district in Rajasthan. </p><p>In its order, the court said, the officer will be bound by the provisions of UP Tree Preservation Act. </p>.Aligarh man comes home to find wife & children missing, spots her at Taj Mahal with another man.<p>It clarified that unless there is a grave urgency of felling of trees, the DFO has to impose a condition that actual tree felling can be done only once all other conditions including compensatory afforestation are complied with.</p>.Watch | Man claiming to be Karni Sena worker offers 'Gangajal' inside Taj Mahal .<p>"We make it clear that exception will apply only when there is grave urgency to fell trees in the sense that if action of felling of trees is not immediately undertaken, there may be possibility of loss of the human life," the bench said.</p><p>In March, 2025, the bench ordered the TTZ authority to appoint the Forest Research Institute (FRI) to carry out a tree census in the area, after noting that without a tree census there cannot be any effective implementation of the provisions of 1976 environmental law.</p>
<p>New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday reiterated its 2015 directive restricting tree felling within five-kilometer aerial distance of the Taj Mahal in Agra, Uttar Pradesh without its nod. </p><p>A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, while hearing the plea of by environmental activist M C Mehta, said tree felling in areas within TTZ beyond the five kilometer distance of the historical monument will require the prior permission of the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of the Central Empowered Committee (CEC).</p><p>The Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) is an area of 10,400 square-kilometre approximately, spreads across Agra, Firozabad, Mathura, Hathras, and Etah districts in UP and Bharatpur district in Rajasthan. </p><p>In its order, the court said, the officer will be bound by the provisions of UP Tree Preservation Act. </p>.Aligarh man comes home to find wife & children missing, spots her at Taj Mahal with another man.<p>It clarified that unless there is a grave urgency of felling of trees, the DFO has to impose a condition that actual tree felling can be done only once all other conditions including compensatory afforestation are complied with.</p>.Watch | Man claiming to be Karni Sena worker offers 'Gangajal' inside Taj Mahal .<p>"We make it clear that exception will apply only when there is grave urgency to fell trees in the sense that if action of felling of trees is not immediately undertaken, there may be possibility of loss of the human life," the bench said.</p><p>In March, 2025, the bench ordered the TTZ authority to appoint the Forest Research Institute (FRI) to carry out a tree census in the area, after noting that without a tree census there cannot be any effective implementation of the provisions of 1976 environmental law.</p>
