Illegal felling of trees: Lalru MC president, former EO indicted

ADC’s inquiry report says trees were axed without permission of the forest department or resolution of the Lalru MC House

Mohali additional deputy commissioner Pooja Sayal has indicted municipal council president Bindu Rana and then executive officer (EO) Ashok Kumar for the illegal cutting of trees spread over 10 acres of a shamlat land in Lalru, under the Dera Bassi subdivision, last month.

The ADC will submit the final report recommending action against Lalru MC president and former EO within seven days. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

In her report submitted to the principal secretary, local bodies department, Punjab , Sayal stated that Rana and Kumar failed to get any approval from the MC House or permission from the forest department to cut the trees.

Even the agenda was not tabled in the House, and there were no representatives from the district administration during the cutting of trees, the report mentioned.

“The final report recommending action against the two will be submitted within seven days,” said Sayal.

Meanwhile, present EO Jagjit Singh Sahi has written to the Lalru station house officer to register a case against the contractor for cutting the trees. The contract was given for ₹2.25 lakh, but the axed trees were worth several lakhs, it was stated.

Defending herself, MC president Bindu Rana said that it was the duty of the officials to bring to her notice the absence of permissions. Accusing Dera Bassi MLA NK Sharma of playing “dirty politics”, Rana said the land in question was meant to carve out plots for homeless people.

MLA NK Sharma, who belongs to the Shiromani Akali Dal, had brought the irregularities to light after visiting the spot on November 24.

“The whole business was going on without the approval of the forest department. As per rules, a written assessment was to be done by the forest department before giving permission for cutting the trees from the shamlat land, after which advertisement for auctioning of trees was to be issued,” the MLA said.

EO Ashok Kumar was shunted out the same day and sent to the head office in Sector 35, Chandigarh. The next day, an inquiry was marked. Even the block officer of the forest department had confirmed that the matter regarding clearance for axing the trees was not in his notice.