VARANASI — The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a stern directive in the ongoing case regarding the illegal felling of trees at Banaras Hindu University (BHU), ordering the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) to finalize the recovery of ₹2.65 crore in environmental compensation within three months.
Tribunal’s Strict Timeline
The latest order was passed on July 7 by an NGT bench led by Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Expert Member Afroz Ahmad.
The tribunal’s intervention follows a previous directive from August 2025, which had already tasked the UPPCB with assessing and recovering compensation within a three-month window.
Due to the UPPCB’s failure to complete the process within that original timeframe, petitioner Advocate Saurabh Tiwari filed a compliance petition, which brought the matter back before the tribunal.
Compensation Assessment
During the proceedings, the UPPCB confirmed to the bench that the environmental compensation amount has been officially calculated.
The total recovery amount, exceeding ₹2.65 crore, is linked to the destruction of 33 trees at the university.
The board informed the tribunal that the formal recovery process is already underway, and the NGT has now mandated that all final actions be concluded within the next three months.
