Lokayukta orders probe into MC role

Shiv Kumar Sharma

Tribune News Service

Yamunanagar, February 9

The Lokayukta has directed the Principal Secretary, Urban Local Bodies Department, to inquire into a complaint filed against officials who failed to protect trees in the territorial jurisdiction of the Municipal Corporation (MC) here. The Principal Secretary has also been asked to submit the report within 45 days.

Complainant SL Saini, a retired mathematics professor from MLN College, and president of the Haryana Environment Society (HES), had alleged that officials of the MC were abusing their positions as public servants and not discharging their duties by not protecting the trees planted by the HES within the MC limits.

“We have planted and protected saplings of more than 1.15 lakh medicinal plants on nearly 90 per cent of the available common land in the twin towns of Yamunanagar and Jagadhri with the help of local people and without any financial support from the government,” he said.

Saini alleged that miscreants had been chopping off and illegally felling healthy trees, but no action had been taken by the MC officials concerned despite repeated complaints filed by the HES and residents.

“Anti-social elements are engaged in destroying the healthy trees due to the lackadaisical attitude of the MC officials,” he alleged.

“The Punjab and Haryana High Court on September 11, 2006, had issued directions to the state MC authorities to provide legal protection to the healthy trees within the MC limits on a public interest litigation filed by the HES,” he said.