Felling of 50 trees in Faridkot medical college sparks outrage

The axing of more than 50 fully grown, decades-old trees at Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital here on Wednesday evening triggered sharp protests from environmental groups and residents.

Activists allege the felling was carried out without mandatory permission from the Forest Department.

The medical college, a constituent institution of the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), has been caught in a blame game over the incident.

While the college authorities claimed the action was taken on the BFUHS orders, the university distanced itself from the decision.

Vice-Chancellor Dr Rajeev Sood stated that a five-member committee had been formed to evaluate the trees and that the committee members, not the university, were responsible for the cutting.

Forest department officials confirmed receiving a request from the medical college to evaluate the trees, but said no permission was sought or granted for their removal. “We were approached for assessment, not for granting felling approval,” an official said.

The protest, led by the Society for Environmental and Ecological Resources (SEER), condemned the destruction of green cover in the name of development and demanded immediate action against those responsible. Environmentalists warned that the loss of mature trees would worsen air quality and disturb the ecological balance in the area. Protesters urged the Punjab Government to order an inquiry and ensure strict enforcement of laws protecting urban greenery.