NGT notice to Punjab on plan to fell 7,392 trees for road project

Mohit Khanna

Patiala, July 30

The Principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has sent a notice to the Punjab Government over its decision to cut 7,392 fully grown trees for four-laning of the Sirhind-Patiala road.

On July 4, The Tribune highlighted the issue in a report after NGOs and green activists opposed the move.

The green watchdog directed the respondents — Punjab Chief Secretary, Principal Chief Conservator Forest and Divisional Forest Officer (Patiala), Deputy Commissioner (Patiala) and the Public Works Department — to submit their replies before October 17, the next date of hearing.

The action was taken after a civil society group, Public Action Committee (PAC Mattewara-Sutlej and Buddha Dariya), filed an application before the NGT demanding a stay on the felling of trees.

Much to the chagrin of green activists, the cutting of trees is in full swing and fully grown trees have been felled in 7km radius of the road.

“For four-laning of a 22-km stretch of the Sirhind-Patiala road, 7,392 fully grown trees and around 20,000 mid-sized trees are being axed,” said one of the petitioners Kapil Dev. “We are not against development, but it should be done in a structured manner.”

In an application submitted before the NGT Principal Bench led by Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, Judicial Member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and Expert Member Dr A Senthil Vel, petitioners Kapil Dev and Dr Amandeep Singh Bains said transplantation of the trees should have been adopted. “Instead, compensatory afforestation has been proposed in Hoshiarpur that is 180 km away and Ropar that is 75 km away from the tree felling location.”

They said as per the Indian Road Congress guidelines, land ought to have been acquired for compensatory afforestation and plantation should be carried out within 10km area where the trees are being axed. The Bench observed that the applicant raised substantial issues relating to compliance of environmental norms.

The four-laning of the 22-km-long Sirhind-Patiala road stretch has begun, raising hopes among commuters in Patiala and neighbouring areas of smoother travel. However, there is a green cost to the project — as 7,392 fully grown trees, including 1,176 shisham, 1,850 arjun, 1,413 mulberry and 1,101 eucalyptus, 33 pipal, will be axed for the project.