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Seven Trees Illegally Cut Down in Gurugram, Google Detects the Act: How the Accused Were Caught

Seven trees were illegally cut down in Gurugram’s South City-1 C Block three years ago. The incident was uncovered through Google Images by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) after a petition was filed in 2024.
 
Seven Trees Illegally Cut Down in Gurugram, Google Detects the Act: How the Accused Were Caught

A rare example of technology enabling environmental protection, Google Images was the key to exposing the hacking of seven trees in Gurugram's South City-1 C Block. It led to taking legal action against the three owners of the plots after demonstrating the government's efforts to protect the green cover and digital power for delivery.

Uncovering the Illegal Activity

In 2021, seven trees were illegally cut from three plots located in South City-1 C Block, Gurugram. Though environmental regulations strictly forbade the practice, the forest department failed to obtain direct proof against the accused initially. It was when a local filed a petition in 2024 with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that it called for an official investigation.

Role of Google Images

After the tribunal ordered the investigation, the authorities resorted to Google Images to study the historical satellite photographs. The images showed that in 2021, plots C-76, C-100, and C-101 had seven healthy trees, which were nowhere to be seen in the subsequent images. This digital evidence helped the court establish the timeline and extent of the illegal tree felling.

Legal Proceedings and Actions Taken

On Friday, the NGT held a hearing on the case and served notices to the three plot owners involved as accused: Gaurav Sharma, Shyam Gupta, and Karan Mehra. These three accused people are now officially charges for violating the environment law through unlawful cutting down of trees. The case has been scheduled for the next hearing on March 4 when the defense of these accused will be presented.

Petition and Investigation Process

The ordeal started on August 23 of the previous year when residents of South City-1 lodged a complaint with the NGT, alleging the illegal removal of trees from plots C-76, C-100, and C-101. Thereafter, the forest department sought information under the Right to Information (RTI) act but received no substantive replies from the accused.

Following this, on 4 September 2024, the NGT constituted a joint committee consisting of the Member Secretary of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board with officials from the forest department and the district magistrate's office for conducting a deep investigation. This joint investigation report, backed up by the proof from Google Images, became enough to bring about legal proceedings against the three owners of plots.

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