Official apologises for tree-axing orders

SANGRUR: Ten days after Punjab chief conservator of forests (hills zone) Harsh Kumar permitted felling of trees for various projects in Mohali district on November 14, he apologised before a National Green Tribunal (NGT) court for issuing the order, on Friday.

Kumar had issued the order under the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), even as on May 19 this year, the NGT had directed Punjab to ban treefelling for any project. The state government moved the Supreme Court against the ban order, where the case is still on.

However, it cut 1.4 lakh trees across the state from October 28, 2016 to June 17, 2017.

The state stopped the felling of trees only after the green tribunal reiterated its ban orders of May.

The NGT summoned Kumar after he issued the order to fell trees, saying that the NGT ban had mainly been imposed on state-run projects and there is ‘no ban in private sector’.

Punjab additional advocate general Kamal Jeet Singh told the principal bench of the tribunal headed by justice Swatanter Kumar that the state’s principal chief conservator of forests Jatinder Sharma had already stayed the felling orders.

“Initially, Kumar tried to argue with justice Swatanter Kumar, but he had to tender unconditional apology in court to save himself from contempt proceedings. His apology was taken on record. He was asked to refrain from issuing such orders in future,” said Saurabh Sharma, advocate for petitioner Dr Amandeep Aggarwal, who had moved the NGT seeking a ban on tree-felling in the state in April 2016.

A Chandigarh-based nongovernment organisation (NGO), Peacock Environment and Wild Life Protection Society, and Dr Aggarwal of Sangrur had jointly filed the petition seeking the ban.

The hearing is nearing completion now.

NGT HAD BANNED TREE FELLING FOR ANY PROJECT, BUT STATE MOVED SC; CUT 1.4 LAKH TREES BEFORE NGT REITERATED ITS BAN