Trees cut to make way for slip road

Nikhila Pant Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, February 17

To construct a slip road leading to the railway lines, the Building and Roads (B&R) Department has begun the work of felling nearly 90 trees along the Bathinda-Malout railway over-bridge.

District forest officer Dr Sanjiv Tiwari said, “The provision for constructing a slip road for those who don’t wish to take the RoB and want to go towards the railway lines was already a part of the project of the Bathinda-Malout RoB. After the construction of the RoB, additional land was required for the slip road and the District Forest Department gave the approval for it.”

“The slip road was to be constructed at the same time as that of the RoB but the National Green Tribunal banned the felling of trees across the country. Only after the Supreme Court lifted the ban and gave its nod for felling of trees did the work begin. The Forest Department transferred the land to the Bathinda Municipal Corporation and the B&R Department began construction of slip road. Since the eucalyptus trees were in the way of the slip road, they have to be removed,” he said.

He added that under the Forest Conservation Act 1980, the Forest Department was supposed to undertake the project of compensatory afforestation in area double the size of that from which the trees had been felled.

“We combine two-three projects and undertake compensatory afforestation in a large area. We have already begun digging of pits for plantation and it will be completed by July this year,” he said.

Workers engaged in the work said they had demarcated 89 trees to be axed.