Ghaziabad, July 13 -- The Uttar Pradesh government, in a compliance report submitted before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), has denied the findings of an earlier Forest Survey of India (FSI) report which alleged that tree-felling occurred beyond the permitted 20-metre right-of-way for the 111-kilometre Upper Ganga Canal road project. The report, uploaded by the tribunal on July 11, was submitted by the state government on May 21 and is based on an investigation conducted by additional principal chief conservator Lalit Kumar Verma. The tribunal is currently hearing the matter after taking cognisance of an HT report dated February 1, which revealed that the UP forest department had allowed the felling of around 112,722 trees and shrubs in protected forest areas across Ghaziabad, Meerut, and Muzaffarnagar divisions to construct two lanes of the proposed road. The latest compliance report stated that a total of 13 points were investigated-four in Ghaziabad, eight in Meerut, and one in Muzaffarnagar-following the NGT's February 28 directive to the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary to verify the FSI's findings and take necessary action against any violations. "Based on the on-site physical inspection, old Google satellite images, and the cross-section provided by the PWD (Public Works Department), a thorough investigation was conducted... Based on the available evidence, it can be stated that no evidence of tree felling outside the proposed 20-metre right-of-way was found at any of the inspected locations," the report said. The UP government report stated that 17,607 trees have so far been felled across the three districts. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for July 16. Earlier, on August 9, 2024, the tribunal had ordered the formation of a joint committee with the Meerut district magistrate as the nodal officer. The committee's January 17 report submitted to the NGT also found no illegal tree-felling at 102 inspected points. However, FSI joint director Meera Iyer did not endorse the joint committee's findings and submitted a separate report on February 20 after the tribunal granted her liberty to do so. "Ms Meera Iyer filed a separate response on February 20, stating that the Forest Survey of India had identified several locations where tree felling had exceeded 20 meters. She has also enclosed the photographs, especially on pages 2021 onwards, showing the position of the stretch in 2022 and a satellite image of May 2024 disclosing that trees beyond 20 meters have been cut," the tribunal noted in its February 28 order, uploaded on March 4. Sanjay Singh, the PWD executive engineer and nodal officer for the road project, did not respond to requests for comment. "The findings of two different reports will now be decided by the tribunal. It is expected that UP wants to go ahead with the project, and none of the reports of their officers have found any issues. However, it is a matter concerning the environment in western UP. So, it must be further probed by an expert agency with the help of satellite imagery of different time periods to bring the actual position to the fore," said Rajendra Tyagi, a co-petitioner in the case....