The Times Of India, 22 April 2014, Noida: The Gautam Budh Nagar forest department has submitted a proposal to the UP government for felling around 3,000 trees in the Dadri region for infrastructure works related to the Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor (DMIC) project. The proposal has been sent to the UP forest department in Lucknow.

The proposal will need the consent of the Central government because forest land in the district will be diverted for non-forest purposes.

Environmental activists in Greater Noida had earlier opposed it over reports that as many as 10,000 trees would be required to be felled in order to make way for works related to the DMIC project. The green brigade was opposed to large-scale felling of trees given the fact that the proportion of area in the NCR that is under forest cover is far below the mandatory requirements. As per the biennial State of Forests Report, compiled by the Forest Survey of India in 2011, around 2.43% of the total geographical area of GB Nagar is under forest cover.

The district forest department, following the study of maps and plans of the project, has clarified that a little over 3,000 trees need to be felled to make way for the infrastructural project.