New Delhi:  The Supreme Court on Friday allowed felling of over 4,000 (four thousand) trees in the Taj Trapezium Zone for laying a new railway line between Mathura and Jhansi.

A Three-judge bench constituted by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde stated that the trees can be uprooted considering the rationale that absence of railway track leads to hours-long delays. The bench, also comprising of Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, however, asked the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd to stringently follow the recommendations of the Central Empowered Committee which include compulsory afforestation.

The proposed railway line is 274 kilometer-long and a total of 4,108 trees in the Taj Trapezium Zone are needed to be felled for its construction.

The Rail Vikas Nigam told the court that the new line is needed as the older ones have deteriorated. A total of 10,400 square kilo metres surrounding the Taj Mahal come under the TTZ. Activities around the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site are monitored by the Supreme Court.

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