The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

The government’s move to auction the green belt near the mental hospital in Amritsar has raised a widespread ecological concern
‘We are digging our graves by felling trees’
Sanjay Bumbroo and Ashok Sethi

Amritsar, June 10
A cross section of the city residents have unanimously castigated the state government for axing a large number of trees at the local Dr Vidya Sagar Mental Institute to pave way for the construction of multiplexes. The mindless destruction of trees, plants and shrubs to make places for constructing residential and commercial buildings has already played havoc with the eco system of the city.

Dr G.S. Bhalla

Says Prof G.S. Bhalla, department of business and commerce, Guru Nanak Dev University. “What to talk about the approval for cutting of trees, I cannot even think in my wildest dreams about the ‘murder’ of trees at this critical juncture in the history of the civilisation. We should not repeat the folly committed by previous civilisations and dig our graves.”

Quoting Arnold Toynbee, a noted historian, that most of the civilisations had become extinct because of the neglect of the ecological concerns.

An ardent admirer of Sunder Lal Bahuguna who said the question is no longer of striking a balance between economic development and environmental degradation but that of survival and extinction, he said in case the trees in Amritsar were cut at the present rate, in a few years from now Amritsar would have almost nil forest cover and would be most unfortunate. Besides affecting the health of the citizens of the city, the brunt would have to be borne by the holy Golden Temple, Durgiana Temple and historic Jallianwala Bagh.
He said a parking complex was already coming up at Saragharhi Memorial Town Hall School after cutting hundreds of old trees.

The government’s claim that the money earned by the auction of the mental hospital land would be utilised for the development of the city was a far-fetched dream. He said the amount should remain in the custody of people with integrity and honesty, who should decide about how the money should be spent.

Prof Bhalla said felling of the trees reflected the poor state of the mind of the government and the hollowness of the claim made by BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu, who proclaimed Amritsar to become green and clean city. He said he had already taken up cudgels against some erring institutions, which had cut old trees to pave way for cycle stands and waiting rooms.

Dr Suresh Chauhan

Dr Suresh Chauhan, medicinal plant expert and renowned Ayurvedic doctor is perturbed over the mindless axing of hundreds of old trees. Coming down heavily on the government, Dr Chauhan says the policy of making the multiplexes on the green spaces of the city is totally absurd.

He said a disaster awaited the residents of the city, which was experiencing seasonal shift because of global warming. Citing the recent example of squalls and unseasonable rains during the hottest months of May and June signified the level of natural upheavals due to plying foul with the ecosystem.

Dr Chauhan said when the temperatures in May and June would touch 45 degrees Celsius, now there were intense humidity with oppressive summer conditions. The humanity should learn to respect the nature and allow it to protect it and its environment. He said the government must go for balanced development and not encourage concrete jungles around the key and holy cities like Amritsar. He said the people must rise to defend their natural resources as the new generations would not forgive them for the destruction of the green cover.

Dr Chauhan said, “The trees like peepal, borh and mango, which arre part of our ancient heritage, provide us oxygen and take in carbon dioxide. The mangoes are excellent species of nature’s bounty which absorb a lot of carbon dioxide and give us more and more oxygen round the clock. The destruction of trees would destroy our natural habitat and the rare birds like sparrow would disappear from the earth. The government must involve the people who are the stakeholders to decide about the environment. The state has no right to destroy the natural heritage, which would bring the city on the brink of disaster.”

He said the money collected from the auction of green cover should be used to develop more green spaces in and around the city to provide healthy environment for the large population of the growing city. He said the government had already approved a number of multiplexes and residential colonies around the city, which had already changed the environment of the city.

Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar

Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjer, renowned radiologist is aghast at the proposal to cut trees in Vidya Sagar Mental Hospital for building a commercial complex for the benefit of a few.

The man, who has been in the forefront of developing green spaces in the city, said it would be the people’s movement which could only stop the government from taking the harsh axing of the trees. He said the city was already under seize due to large buildings and commercial complexes underway in and around the city, which had already destroyed flora and fauna.

Dr Nijjer, who has founded and promoted environmental society, is very touchy about the trees and plants. He said he had been having sleepless nights and was considerably disturbed at the very idea of destroying the ancient tree covers of the mental hospital to pave way for a multistory complex and hotel.

He said the government should move all construction activity to designated sites outside the city and maintain the ecological balance.

He said firstly he would oppose the construction activity at the mental hospital, which would harm the surroundings of the sanatorium, and only if the people of the area and the city approved of the axing of trees, the money generated from the auction should be spent as per the wishes of the residents of the city.

He suggested that the entire amount should be kept in the holy corpus for the development of the infrastructure, which had been in a state of neglect.

He said the city had no master plan and lacked areas designated for commercial, residential and shopping complexes and the entire development works were done in a haphazard manner with ad hoc approach. He said the government must initiate proper scientific and comprehensive development while keeping with the whishes of the residents who should be the final arbitrators about the projects of development launched in the city.

Dr Nijjer said the city had seen some mind-boggling building activity which happened to destroy its tradition as a number of green areas had been converted into concrete jungles. He said the government must restore its old glory and construction should be avoided to maintain its heritage.

Prof Joginder Singh

Prof J.S. Jogi, former professor of English, GND varsity. The principal cause of deforestation is the need for wood to be used as firewood or in construction and making of paper and furniture as well as to clear land for commercial and industrial development.

These ventures are carried out in the name of progress, but rarely do we ponder over the loss being caused due to the sources getting depleted as a result of these very ventures.

Our consummation of the sources is much more and faster than what we strive to restore to recompense for our future generations. Just to cite a brief observation, we take the case of two states - Rajasthan and Punjab.

Rajasthan, the area of Rajputs, has 5 per cent of its area under forest cover.

On the other hand, Punjab, the land of five rivers, known to be fertile by virtue of water and vegetation, has only 3 per cent of its area under forest cover.

The newly undertaken strides of land sharks are mercilessly speeding to deforest this land of its natural benedictions, perhaps to make it a land of stones rather than let it remain content with the vast pastures of crops producing arable prairies.

In Himachal Pradesh, cutting of a tree is a criminal offence. Can’t we have the same ruling applicable in Punjab too?

But the Punjabis are land hungry and they do not mind denuding mother earth in order to swell their coffers. All over Punjab, and now specially in Amritsar, the newly sprung spree of devastating the green cover under the name of progress and modernisation, vast areas of forests or tree-dense areas are being slashed or uprooted for building multiplexes for marketing material products.

Sitting behind tinted glasses in air-conditioned enclosures, the neo-rich magnates know little about what nature really means as was lamented by Wordsworth long ago. Bhai Veer Singh, the Amritsari doyen of Punjabi literature, had great love for the natural surroundings of the city.

Since trees have always been regarded as god-given shelters, these have become symbols of worship even under certain beliefs. Trees are a visible show of nature’s benediction that provides shelter and wood and fruit to meet the needs of man’s living.

For birds, trees are the only refuge for their sustenance in the environment. Many reptiles and insects find existence by virtue of trees.

To maintain an eco-friendly balance of the biodegradable renewable resources, it is essential to manage and maintain the forest lands. All growth on earth is the proof of mother earth’s sense of concern for the species that have been ordained to live on it.