Two booked for axing trees, stealing wood

The Ludhiana police filed an FIR against two persons, BD Goyal and Tarsem Singh, on Friday for allegedly cutting down trees and stealing wood from a park in the Basant Avenue area. The case was registered under the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act 1984 and on the charges of theft.

According to activists from the Public Action Committee (PAC), this is the first time an FIR has been filed against illegal tree cutting in the area, despite multiple complaints in the past.

The complaint was filed based on the statement of Dr Amandeep Bains, a dentist and activist, who claimed that four fully grown trees planted by him and his team 20 years ago were illegally chopped down by residents of the area.

Dr Bains stated that he noticed the tree cutting on December 5 and enquired with contractor Buta Ram, who revealed that BD Goyal and Tarsem Singh had hired him to cut down the trees and take away the wood. Activist Kapil Arora praised the police for registering the FIR, saying it would help deter future incidents like these. The accused are yet to be arrested.