Court Halts Tree Cutting for Mohali Roundabouts

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has intervened in a proposal by the Greater Mohali Development Authority (GMADA) to cut approximately 250 trees for constructing roundabouts in Mohali. The court has formed a committee of lawyers to examine this plan amid arguments from both petitioners and the government. This action comes after the high court previously imposed a ban on tree cutting across Punjab for infrastructure development.

The government argued that felling trees was essential for road safety and accident prevention, citing the need for new roundabouts. However, petitioners raised concerns about the transparency of afforestation efforts and the government's policy for granting tree-cutting permissions. The bench acknowledged the importance of human lives lost in accidents but also highlighted the necessity of preventing environmental degradation.

The petition, filed by Shubham Singh, specifically challenged the decision to cut 251 trees for three roundabouts near Gurdwara Singh Shaheedan and CP-67 mall. The petition underscored Punjab's substantial loss of forest and tree cover over the past 22 years, with combined cover dropping from 8% in 2001 to 6.59% in 2023. This decline places Punjab among states with the lowest forest and tree cover nationally.

Arguments presented in court also referenced alarming international data on deforestation, noting India's significant loss of forest cover over three decades and its high rate of forestry loss between 1990 and 2020. The court has requested the panel's report by next week, emphasizing that both human lives and the environment are paramount.