3 trees axed for widening road

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 30

After three trees were axed near Canal Bridge at Bhai Randhir Singh (BRS) Nagar in Ludhiana, the Council of Engineers, an NGO, has sent a complaint to the Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Forest and Wildlife Preservation.

The NGO has alleged that the trees were around 35-40 years’ old and have been axed ‘unnecessarily’ in the name of development by the Ludhiana MC.

In the complaint, Kapil Arora, who is leading the NGO, has alleged that the MC has not taken any permission from the National Green Tribunal and assessment from the Forest Department before axing these trees. He demanded that action be taken against those responsible for causing damage to environment by cutting trees at BRS Nagar, Ludhiana.

Arora demanded that directions must be issued to the authorities concerned to compensate the environment by planting saplings for each felled tree. “If no action is taken, we will move the NGT”, he said.

“In 2016, while acting on two petitions alleging indiscriminate felling of trees in Punjab for widening roads and those standing along the canal banks, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had ordered that not a single tree would be axed in the state without its permission,” said Arora.

Meanwhile, an official of the MC said the trees were axed for a road-widening project so that the commuters didn’t face any inconvenience. The MC’s Executive Engineer (B&R) could not be contacted for comments.