Uttar Pradesh

• 13 Nov 2024

Trees Cut Down for Proposed Kanwar Yatra Route

Why in News? 

According to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), authorities have cut around 17,600 trees in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad, Meerut, and Muzaffarnagar districts to make way for a new Kanwar Yatra route.

Key Points

• Background: 
  • Earlier this year, the NGT took suo motu cognizance of a news report regarding the Uttar Pradesh government's plan to cut down 1,12,722 trees. 
  • The purpose of this large-scale tree-cutting was to facilitate a proposed Kanwar Yatra route between Muradnagar in Ghaziabad and Purkaji in Muzaffarnagar. 
• Findings of the Interim Report: 
  • In August 2024, the NGT established a joint panel to examine the environmental concerns associated with this project. 
  • The report, based on data from the Irrigation Department, highlighted that initial permission allowed for felling 1,12,722 trees, but the target was later reduced to 33,776 trees. 
• The NGT instructed the Uttar Pradesh government to clarify if the calculation of trees to be cut follows the U.P. Protection of Trees Act, 1976. 
  • The government must also specify if additional vegetation such as plants and bushes, which may be removed for road construction, fall under the Act's definition of trees. 

The Kanwar Yatra

• It is a Hindu pilgrimage in the month of Shravana, by Lord Shiva devotees.  
• The devotees travel to pilgrimage places like Haridwar, Gaumukh, Gangotri in Uttarakhand, Sultanganj in Bihar, Prayagraj, Ayodhya, and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, and return by carrying Ganga water in kanwars to seek the blessings of Shiva.  
  • The water is offered to Shiva temples, including the 12 Jyotirlingas across India and other shrines like the Pura Mahadev Mandir and Augharnath in Uttar Pradesh, the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple, and the Baba Baidyanath Temple in Deoghar, Jharkhand. The ritual is known as Jal Abhishek.

Full Motion Simulator Facility Inaugurated in Agra

Why in News? 

Recently, the Indian Air Force (IAF) C-295 Full Motion Simulator (FMS) was inaugurated in Air Force Station Agra, Uttar Pradesh. It will allow a significant proportion of pilot training to be undertaken in the simulator, thereby saving precious flying hours on the aircraft.

Key Points

• The simulator offers pilots near-realistic training, replicating missions such as tactical airlift, para-dropping, para-trooping, medical evacuation, and disaster relief. 
  • It also simulates critical scenarios, enhancing pilots' readiness for real-world operations and improving their ability to make rapid, high-stakes decisions, which boosts the overall safety of military flights. 
• The introduction of the C-295 aircraft into the IAF strengthens the country’s aerospace industry, as it marks the beginning of "Atmanirbhar Bharat" in private-sector transport aircraft production. 
• C-295 Aircraft:  
  • It is a transport aircraft of 5-10 tonne capacity with contemporary technology. 
  • Robust and reliable, it is a versatile and efficient tactical transport aircraft which can perform a number of different missions. 
  • Features: 
    • The aircraft, with a flight endurance of up to 11 hours, can carry out multi-role operations under all weather conditions. 
    • It can routinely operate day as well as night combat missions from desert to maritime environments. 
    • It has a rear ramp door for quick reaction and para dropping of troops and cargo. Short take-off/land from semi-prepared surfaces is another of its features. 
  • Replacement: 
    • It will replace the Indian Air Force’s ageing fleet of Avro-748 planes. 
      • The Avro-748 planes are a British-origin twin-engine turboprop, military transport and freighter with a 6-tonne freight capacity.