The Supreme Court on Thursday reaffirmed its 2015 order prohibiting the cutting of trees within a 5-kilometre aerial radius of the Taj Mahal in Agra without prior approval from the court. This direction came while hearing a petition filed by environmental activist MC Mehta, who had sought protective measures to safeguard the monument from environmental threats.
The restricted area falls under the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ), a region covering 10,400 square kilometres across several districts—Agra, Firozabad, Mathura, Hathras, and Etah in Uttar Pradesh, as well as Bharatpur in Rajasthan. This zone was established to protect the Taj Mahal from air pollution and ecological degradation.
A bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan clarified that while tree felling beyond the 5-kilometre radius in the TTZ is not under the Supreme Court’s direct restriction, it must still adhere to the regulations of the Uttar Pradesh Tree Preservation Act and requires prior clearance from the central empowered committee.
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