New lease of life for 225 plants on Ferozepur Road

Harshraj Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 24

As process for construction of an elevated road has begun, the Municipal Corporation (MC) has started transplanting shrubs and plants from the dividers on Ferozepur Road near Punjab Agricultural University. As many as 225 plants have been moved to other locations, including Jalandhar bypass and MC’s nursery, in the past two days.

Officials of the MC’s horticulture wing claimed that they took the move to save these plants as an elevated road project had been started on Ferozepur Road. However, the officials claimed that no tree had been axed as per the orders of the National Green Tribunal.

An employee of MC’s horticulture wing said many plants had been shifted to central verges near Jalandhar Bypass. He said there was a threat to these small plants as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has started the road project. The pillars for the elevated road are to be constructed in the middle of the road, he added.

Executive Engineer of the horticulture wing Surinder Kumar said: “We are shifting these plants from dividers on Ferozepur Road to other places, so these can be saved. There is nothing wrong in the shifting of plants. We did not axe any tree.”

Earlier, the NHAI had sought permission from the National Green Tribunal for axing trees at the site of its elevated road project from Samrala Chowk to Octroi Post on Ferozepur Road.

An environment activist, Dr Amandeep Aggarwal, who had filed a petition against the axing of trees in Punjab, also opposed axing of trees for the elevated road project. The tribunal had also asked the divisional forest officer concerned to submit a report on the transplantation.

Dr Amandeep Aggarwal said: “There is a blanket ban on axing of trees. Moreover, the NGT has not given any approval to date for felling trees for the elevated road project in Ludhiana. The authorities can’t axe any tree for the project without permission from the NGT.”