The Supreme Court of India has eased tree-felling regulations in the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ), which encompasses areas in Agra, Firozabad, Mathura, Hathras, and Etah districts in Uttar Pradesh, as well as Bharatpur district in Rajasthan. Following a ruling in 2025, the social forestry wing of the forest department has issued new guidelines that allow farmers beyond a 5-km aerial radius of the Taj Mahal to obtain permission to fell, prune, or cut specified tree species, including eucalyptus, poplar, and melia dubia (Malabar neem). This move aims to promote agroforestry and streamline the permission process, which was previously stringent due to a blanket ban imposed by the Supreme Court in 2015. The new standard operating procedures (SOP) allow farmers to fell up to 49 trees without extensive approvals, while non-farmers must seek permission from the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) for similar actions. However, environmental activists have raised concerns about the potential dilution of environmental protections, fearing that the relaxation of norms could lead to negative consequences for the ecosystem. The TTZ was established to mitigate the impact of industrial pollution on the Taj Mahal, and its management remains a contentious issue.