TN: NGT to hear petition on tree felling for highway expansion on April 15

Chennai, April 12 (IANS) The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) will hear a petition on April 15 filed by residents of Adyar in Chennai, opposing the felling of 69 trees for a road widening project undertaken by the Tamil Nadu Highways Department.

The petition, submitted by a representative of the Ramaniyam Towers Residents Association, alleges environmental violations and lack of transparency in the execution of the project.

The residents claim that no environmental clearance was obtained before initiating the tree-cutting activities, which are part of a plan to decongest traffic at the Greenways Road–Durgabai Deshmukh Road junction.

According to the petition, the project was approved without any public consultation.

The residents had earlier approached the Madras High Court in October 2024, raising concerns over a potential conflict of interest, stating that Highways Department officials were part of the committee that approved the tree felling, thereby compromising the neutrality of the decision-making process.

The petition further argues that environmental factors were ignored and that no alternatives were explored to avoid tree loss.

The residents insist that viable, less destructive solutions were available and should have been considered.

In response, the State Highways Department submitted a report stating that the junction in question is a high-traffic area frequented by senior government officials.

The department argued that road expansion was necessary to ease congestion, adding that widening existing roads was not feasible due to the presence of heritage buildings and official residences in the vicinity.

The tribunal will hear arguments from both parties during the April 15 hearing.

The Southern Bench of the NGT has jurisdiction over environmental cases in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.

The NGT, which also holds powers to initiate proceedings suo motu in serious environmental matters, has previously directed state governments to compensate victims in environmental accidents, with its orders holding the same legal authority as civil court rulings.

Non-compliance with NGT directives can lead to penalties including imprisonment, fines, or both.

--IANS

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