NGOs in Ludhiana demand justice for the fallen trees, stage protest

LUDHIANA: Various NGOs staged an on-site protest on Monday, January 4, against Ludhiana Municipal Corporation’s (LMC) inaction over the illegal cutting down of eight full-grown trees near Middha Chowk. The protesting NGO members filed a police report at Kochar market police station, accusing the civic authority of failing to follow up on the cases.

The members claimed they had learned that a few building owners had chopped down decades-old trees because they were blocking views from their buildings, even though one of the trees was directly outside the corporation’s sub-zone office.

“It is a horrible crime to destroy the environment, punishable under the Environment Protection Act, 1986, but the municipal corporation is turning a blind eye to the issue,” said Kapil Arora, President, Council of Engineers (CoE). FIRs are simply advised against unnamed suspects, and just for tree/wood theft. An anonymous person was also charged with causing tree damage in BRS Nagar lately, but no action was done. The civic body has failed to do what it preaches. These trees were cut down in the last several days, yet the officials claim to have only learned about it on Sunday.”, he added.

Meanwhile, Jaskirat Singh, Member, Naroa Punjab Manch and Rahul Verma, Member, Sambhav Foundation, both stressed the importance of environmental protection, particularly in light of rising pollution levels.

“Every time a resident file a complaint, merely a referral to file an FIR is made, but it is never filled, which encourages the perpetrators. They should lead by example, and those responsible for these atrocities should be held accountable. We’ve been urging that political parties include a ‘green platform’ in their election campaigns, but it’s a terrible state of affairs on the ground.”, Singh added.

In response to inquiries, Kirpal Singh, Junior Engineer (Horticulture wing), LMC, stated that shortly after the department got a complaint on Sunday, an FIR was recommended against the unidentified perpetrators. “It’s unclear who cut down the trees, but it’s likely that they did so at night or on a public holiday to avoid being caught. We also attempted but failed, to investigate the CCTV footage from private cameras mounted in the neighborhood. According to him, “the police will immediately file an FIR under the relevant part of the Indian Penal Code.”