PAC moves NGT against damage to forest caused by Irrigation Department
In a matter pertaining to severe damage to the forest by illegal axing of trees, brutal killing of wildlife and illegal mining and encroachment by installation of ready mix plant by the Irrigation Department for widening and concrete lining of Sirhind Canal Project, the Public Action Committee (PAC) has moved the National Green Tribunal (NGT) with a plea of registration of an FIR and imposing environment compensation against the Principal Secretary and Executive Engineer of the department.
Dr Amandeep Singh Bains and Gurpreet Singh said they got information about the same from their PAC member Samita Kaur. “We came to know that the Irrigation Department has started a project of widening of Sirhind Canal to increase its capacity from 12,000 cusecs to 15,600 cusecs and has axed a large number of trees on both sides of the canal,” they said.
“On our first visit, we found severe damage being done to the forest by the Irrigation Department by axing a large number of trees, illegal mining around trees in forest for theft of soil and installation of batching plant and procurement of building material resulting in damage to roots of trees as well as the natural habitat of wildlife,” Bains said.
Er Kapil Arora and Jaskirat Singh said they contacted DFO Rajesh Gulati and after inspection, an official complaint was filed by the Range Officer with the SHO, Doraha police station, against culprits under provisions of the Forest Act but no FIR had been registered so far.
It is a well-known fact that the Forest trail along the Sirhind Canal from Chamkaur Sahib is sacred and among a few such historical forests as the Tenth Sikh Master Guru Gobind Singh went through the Forest to reach Alamgir Sahib at Ludhiana, but it is being destroyed too.
The PAC members again visited the location from Garthali Bridge to the railway crossing at Sirhind Canal at Doraha and found a large number of trees axed again by the Irrigation Department.
Further, three batching plants were found to be operational, resulting in spreading of cement dust in the forest area which has a bad effect on trees and wildlife. Two rat snakes (protected species under the Wildlife Act) were found to be brutally killed too.
“We have moved the NGT with a plea of abolishing the project as well as registration of an FIR and imposing hefty penalty on the Principal Secretary as well as the Executive Engineer of the Irrigation Department under the provisions of Forest Act, 1927, Forest Preservation Act, 1980, Wildlife Protection Act and Environment Act,” he said.