NGT forms panel to probe felling of 20 heritage trees

Taking cognizance of the felling of 20 trees on the premises of the erstwhile Civil Surgeon Office, Jalandhar, to make way for the Critical Care Unit, the National Green Tribunal has directed the formation of a high-level committee to look into the felling of trees allegedly without permission and directed the committee to submit a report within eight weeks.

The committee will comprise the Member Secretary, Central Pollution Control Board, Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, Chandigarh, representative of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of the Department of Forests), Mohali, and District Magistrate, Jalandhar.

The NGT order states that the committee will visit the site, ascertain the persons responsible for cutting of the trees and also the mechanism in the state to prevent the felling of trees in the non-forest area and submit a report within eight weeks.

Jalandhar activist Tejaswi Minhas had made a complaint regarding the illegal cutting of 20 heritage trees on the premises of the Civil Surgeon Office, Jalandhar. The complaint had stated that the government had ordered the demolition of the heritage Civil Surgeon office building for a new 100-bed Critical Care Unit.

The complaint alleged that 14 such trees were cut on or before September 16 without any permission by any authority and to protect the six remaining heritage trees, a protest was held on September 17. But the remaining six trees were also cut. The complaint alleged with Jalandhar having hardly any forest cover, these heritage trees were the lungs of the city and the PWD, in connivance with the contractor, had illegally cut those trees.

The Bench comprising Justice Prakash Shrivastava, Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and Expert Member Dr A Senthil also directed the issuance of a notice to respondents - the PWD and others - for filing their reply before the Tribunal at least a week before the next date of hearing (January 1) through e-filing.