Legal notice served on officials for illegal axing of trees on Rani Jhansi road in Ludhiana

Taking serious note of illegal cutting of five fully grown green trees on the Rani Jhansi road, Civil Lines, the Public Action Committee (PAC) Mattewara-Sutlej-Buddha Darya has issued a legal notice to senior officials of the Punjab Government, Ludhiana Municipal Corporation and the Punjab Police, demanding immediate registration of an FIR and strict action against those responsible for the act.

The trees were allegedly axed on the intervening night of March 2 and 3, in blatant violation of the Punjab and Haryana High Court interim order dated February 3, 2026, which had imposed a statewide ban on the cutting of trees without prior permission of the court.

According to the legal notice, the trees were reportedly cut after illegally barricading the road using barriers, and without obtaining any permission from the competent authority or the court.

The notice further states that the trees were axed with the suspected connivance of certain officials of the Municipal Corporation.

The PAC also questioned the controversial declaration of the trees as “dangerous” by the Horticulture Department, stating that the mature trees were healthy and had been standing for decades. The committee alleged that the trees were axed under the false pretext of pruning, causing irreversible environmental damage.

The notice further pointed out that as per the Tree Preservation Policy, 2024, approval of the competent committee chaired by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) and technical clearance from the District Forest Officer (DFO) were mandatory before axing any tree. However, it appears that no such approvals were obtained in the present case, the notice stated.

The PAC also expressed apprehension that the trees may have been removed to facilitate a proposed commercial development at the site, raising serious concerns about misuse of administrative powers and violation of the environmental safeguards.

Through the legal notice, the PAC demanded immediate registration of an FIR against the accused and responsible officials while seeking a time-bound inquiry into the illegal felling of trees. The panel also sought fixing accountability of officials who failed to prevent the illegal act and criminal as well as departmental action against all those involved in the case.

Compensatory plantation of trees at the same location in accordance with the environmental norms was also sought by the panel. The PAC warned that if appropriate action was not taken within three days, it would be constrained to initiate contempt proceedings before the court.

The committee stated that issue concerns the protection of urban green cover and enforcement of judicial orders, and emphasised that environmental laws cannot be sacrificed at the altar of private commercial interests. It may be mentioned that the story was carried in these columns of the Ludhiana Tribune on March 4, 2026.