Felling of eucalyptus trees outside UT Secretariat: Plea filed in High Court

The petitioner, Adityajit Singh Chadha, through his counsel Gauravjit Singh Patwalia has sought to place on record the permission/approval for felling of 100 eucalyptus trees outside the UT Secretariat, Sector 9, Chandigarh, by the Tree Felling Committee constituted on July 22, 2022, and to quash the permission for felling of the eucalyptus trees by the Chandigarh Administration.

Advocate Patwalia said that the Department of Forests and Wildlife, Chandigarh Administration, had, vide orders dated July 22, 2022, constituted a tree felling committee wherein the function of the committee was to receive applications for felling of the trees and then to conduct a detailed inspection of the status and health of the tree, and make specific recommendations along with detailed justification whether the tree is required to be pruned/pollarded/felled/transplanted or otherwise.

Further, “the Chandigarh Administration has axed 100 eucalyptus trees outside the UT Secretariat. Apparently, a perusal of the news articles published on February 15, 2023, reveals that the justification given by the authorities is that the said trees were crack-ridden and hence the same pose a threat to the governmental building in the vicinity of the area. It is astonishing to believe that the entire belt of 100 eucalyptus trees had cracks and not a single tree was in a fit condition to survive. The logical approach that should have been taken would be to trim the trees and bring them to a lower height which would reduce the danger posed by the trees,” the counsel submitted before the court.

The petitioner contended before the HC that respondent Chandigarh Administration is now initiating axing of 100 more eucalyptus trees which are opposite the Punjab Police Headquarters in Sector 9, Chandigarh, without conducting any detailed investigations qua the health of the trees in pursuance to the orders, dated July 22, 2022. The petitioner said that he has also submitted a representation, dated February 16, 2023, against the activity of axing of the trees without conducting any detailed investigations qua the health of the tree. However, no response has been received from the authorities concerned.