SC fines UP Bridge corporation for going ahead with construction sans nod

New Delhi, The Supreme Court on Tuesday imposed a ₹5 lakh fine on the Uttar Pradesh State Bridge Corporation Ltd for going ahead with the construction of a flyover in the Taj Trapezium Zone without seeking its prior nod. A bench of Justices Abhay Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan expressed shock over the attitude of the state government firm and questioned its decision that also entails felling and translocation of several trees in the Taj Trapezium Zone.

In an ongoing PIL filed by environmentalist M C Mehta about the preservation of the Taj Mahal and the TTZ's flora and fauna, the bench was considering a number of interim pleas. The TTZ, which covers an area of about 10,400 square kilometers, is located in the districts of Bharatpur in Rajasthan and Agra, Firozabad, Mathura, Hathras, and Etah in Uttar Pradesh.