Agra, May 20: The Supreme Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam to plant 2,500 saplings, maintain and look after them for 10 years in a secure fenced area in Firozabad district to compensate the felling of 234 trees that come in the way of the Ganga Jal pipeline that will bring water to the Taj City.

Details of the order were made available on Sunday. BJP MLA Yogendra Upadhyaya flaunted his achievement in getting an apex court nod for the proposed felling of the 234 trees. The Ganga Jal pipeline will bring water to Agra from Bulandshahar's Palra Jhaal canal.

The Rs 3,000 crore project is almost complete except for a stretch of five kilometres that has 234 trees as green barriers.

Green activists in Agra accused Upadhyaya of speaking "selective or half-truth".

"The Supreme Court has asked the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam to obtain clearance from the Forest Department and cut only such number of trees which are absolutely essential for laying the conduit pipeline," activist Shravan Kumar Singh told IANS.

The apex court order noted that wherever feasible, the trees proposed to be cut were "uprooted and lifted upwards to enable laying of the pipeline and after which the trees are planted back at the same spot".

The order states that the 2.5 hectares of land identified in village Shekhupura for taking up compensatory planting "shall be chain-linked, fenced on two feet tall wall before June 30, 2018 by project authorities and handed over to the Forest Department for taking up afforestation work".

Further, the cost of planting 2,500 saplings and maintenance cost for 10 years will have to be deposited in a separate account with the Forest Department, before the grant of permission, the court said.

The objection to the felling of trees for the Ganga Jal Pipeline came initially from eco-lawyer M.C. Mehta, whose petition is being heard by a bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta.

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Rajkot, Jan 15: Records tumbled like nine pins as the Indian women's cricket team, powered by skipper Smriti Mandhana's 70-ball century, demolished Ireland by a whopping 304 runs to claim its biggest-ever ODI win and complete a 3-0 clean sweep here on Wednesday.

The result of the match was a mere formality once India set Ireland a massive target of 436, and Ireland could only garner 131 before getting bundled out in 31.4 overs.

India put the first step forward towards a crushing victory through record-breaking Mandhana (135, 80b, 12x4, 7x6) and her opening partner Pratika Rawal (154, 129b, 20x4, 1x6), reaching 435/5, highest total by an Indian team — men’s or women’s — in ODIs.

India men's highest ODI total is 418/5 made against the West Indies in Indore in 2011.

Mandhana and Rawal added a whopping 233 runs for the first wicket in just 26.4 overs and there was no looking back.

Then spinners Tanuja Kanwar (2/31) and Deepti Sharma (3/27) took over, sharing five wickets among them to decimate the Irish line-up, which was well short on experience.

Orla Prendergast (36) and Sarah Forbes (41) added 64 runs for a fluent third wicket stand that helped Ireland to recover from a shaky 24 for two to reach 88 without further damage.

But once Prendergast was cleaned up by Kanwar, India were all over the tourists like a bad rash, claiming the remaining seven wickets for just 33 runs.

It also helped India eclipse their previous largest margin of victory (by runs) — 249 registered against the same opposition in 2017 at Potchefstroom, South Africa.

Mandhana’s 10th ODI century came off just 70 deliveries as the left-hander surpassed Harmanpreet Kaur’s 87-ball hundred mark against South Africa last year.

It also set the tone for India breaching the 400-run mark for the first time, joining Australia and New Zealand in that elite list.

Mandhana was in her usual destructive self, and was not afraid to take the aerial route over the 'V' and clear the 30-yard circle.

Pratika complemented her captain brilliantly with a measured knock, making the occasion even more special by notching her maiden international century in her sixth innings.

Pratika relied on precise placement and deft touches in the point region and she showed her aggression only after reaching the ton, hitting Freya Sargent for her first six.

Demonstrating hunger for a bigger knock, she powered her way to an impressive 150 — a perfect blend of composure and aggression.

Their 233-run partnership made them only the fourth Indian pair to record a 200-run stand in Women’s ODIs.

It was also the third instance of both Indian openers scoring hundreds in ODIs, following Reshma Gandhi and Mithali Raj’s feat at Milton Keynes in 1999 and Deepti and Raut’s partnership at Potchefstroom in 2017 -- all against Ireland.

The duo added 90 runs during the Power Play and 67 in the subsequent 10 overs, maintaining a brisk scoring rate.

Mandhana reached her first century of the calendar year with an exquisite drive off Arlene Kelly.

Kelly bore the brunt of her onslaught, conceding successive sixes in one over.

Even Kelly’s variations, including back-of-the-hand deliveries, were dispatched with ease, with the Indian batter following a six with another boundary in the 24th over.

Mandhana also took on Ireland’s leading bowler, Prendergast, smashing her for a boundary down the ground and a towering six over long-on.

Promoted to No. 3, Richa Ghosh also returned to form, making a 37-ball fifty, her fifth in ODIs.