New Delhi, May 1 -- The Supreme Court on Thursday reiterated its 2015 directive restricting the felling of trees within a five-kilometre aerial radius of the Taj Mahal in Agra, emphasising that no trees, regardless of number, can be cut without the Court's explicit permission in this sensitive ecological belt.
A bench, comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, reaffirmed that the original order dated May eight, 2015, will continue to govern tree felling activities within the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ), a designated 10,400 sq km area covering districts in Uttar Pradesh (Agra, Firozabad, Mathura, Hathras, Etah) and Bharatpur in Rajasthan.
"For areas within five kilometres of the Taj Mahal, our original directions remain in force. No t...