Agra, Oct 17 At least two dozen full grown trees have been chopped off in the premises of a state-run hotel located near the Taj Mahal, within the eco-sensitive 500 metre zone of the monument.

Neither the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department nor the Uttar Pradesh Tourism, which runs the hotel, could explain why and who did the chopping.

The trunk of one at least 50-year-old tree is still lying there. Others have been cut into smaller pieces.

The Supreme Court had in 1996 ordered intensive afforestation around the Taj Mahal to insulate it from air pollution. In the past two decades, vast sums of money have been spent on greening the area around the Taj.

A hotel employee said: "Foreign tourists were finding it hard to get a clearer glimpse of the Taj Mahal because the trees obstructed the view. So the trees were cut from the top."

Green activist Ravi Singh said: "Tree felling is a serious crime and cannot be overlooked. The guilty have to be brought to book."

A foreign tourist, who gave her name as Linda, was shocked to see the chopping. "It is a ghastly sight so close to the Taj Mahal. How can they do it?" (IANS)