NGOs to approach green tribunal

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 8

With the Forest Department starting cutting of around 450 mango trees at Horticulture Park at Attari, just a few kilometres from the International Border, the environmentalists are fuming.

Dejected with the Punjab Government’s “indifferent” attitude towards environment, the environmentalists have decided to approach the green tribunal in this connection. Earlier, they had approached the Union Environment and Forest Minister to pass necessary instructions to the state government.

Mission Aagaaz, an NGO along with other NGOs dedicated to the cause of environment, said that instead of chopping trees, the government should develop the site to promote eco-tourism. “We will now approach the green tribunal against mindless axing of fully grown and decades old trees by the Punjab Government in the name of development,” said Gurbhej Singh.

However, the Horticulture Department pointed out that they were going to plant pear trees, which was a local crop and suited the environment here.

Baaj Singh, Deputy Director, Horticulture Department, here said that the department would plant pear trees, which are more profitable than mangoes. He said the mango tree gave yield in every alternate season. This meant no income for every second year. He said the park was set up for research purposes and various projects were in the pipeline to develop it in a better way, so that it could provide help to the farmers.