Fazilka loses trees, greening planned in other districts

The environmentalists questioned the absence of a transparent and public afforestation plan to compensate for the trees cut in Fazilka. According to them, no clear information has been shared with residents regarding where and when replacement plantations will take place.

The citizens demanded that new trees be planted within the Fazilka district itself for every tree felled. Citing information obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, Navdeep Asija said, “As per the RTI information sought for which reply came on November 3 this year, the Forest Department plans to carry out compensatory afforestation in Pathankot and Amritsar, a move the residents termed a ‘blatant environmental injustice’ to Fazilka.”

He added that around Rs 68 crore has been deposited by the NHAI with the Punjab government as compensation for trees cut in Fazilka. However, as per the RTI information, the forest department has reportedly stated that the funds would be utilised for plantation in Gurdaspur and Amritsar districts.

The residents have now demanded that the Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) funds –collected specifically in lieu of deforestation in Fazilka – be utilised within the same district.

They pointed out that 14 per cent of the area in Fazilka’s environmental plan is marked as suitable for plantation, and that the district administration has complete records of available land. “Despite this, the government claims there is no space for plantations in Fazilka. This is either deliberate negligence or a serious administrative lapse,” they alleged.

The citizens said they were ready to submit a list of potential plantation sites if the government failed to identify land on its own. They demanded a time-bound and district-specific afforestation plan to ensure environmental sustainability alongside infrastructure development.

Notably, Punjab’s forest cover stands at 3.67 per cent of its total geographical area, which is even less than arid Rajasthan, while Fazilka district has an even lower forest cover of 1.98 per cent, according to the Survey of India’s 2023 assessment.

It may also be recalled that the Punjab and Haryana High Court recently stayed tree-cutting activities across Punjab, adding legal weight to the growing environmental concerns.

Another protest

In a separate protest, students of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) under the banner of the Agriculture Students Association Punjab (ASAP) have been agitating against the proposed cutting of 94 trees inside the university campus.

Continuing their ongoing ‘Save Trees Morcha’, the students submitted a written memorandum to the university administration on Thursday, demanding an immediate halt to the proposed felling, which is being planned for road widening within the campus.

According to an official order dated November 28, 2025, the PAU administration sought permission from the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), Ludhiana West, to cut the trees. Subsequently, on December 4, the SDM wrote to the district forest officer seeking an estimate of the cost involved in chopping the trees.

The protesting students argued that the decision contradicts the core philosophy of an agricultural university, which is expected to champion environmental conservation and sustainable development.