Tribune News Service

Mohali, July 24

Residents today held a massive protest at the light point near Gurdwara Singh Shaheedan against the cutting of around 60 trees by GMADA on the pretext of widening of the road.

Former councilor Parminder Singh Sohana and Sukhdev Singh Patwari, councillor from Sector 70, alleged that GMADA officials were playing with the lives of people by destroying the environment to please the owners of Jubilee Walk Mall. They said for the past two years, owners of Jubilee Walk had allegedly been damaging the road, sewer line and storm line along Mayfair, Rishi Apartments and Homeland.

Meanwhile the SDO, who arrived this morning with heavy police security for cutting down the trees, had to face wrath of people. In the evening, a large numbers of residents gathered and said they would not allow the trees to be cut down at any cost.

Nambardar Harwinder Singh, the president of an environment society, said the government should register an FIR against the officials responsible for felling the trees. They also demanded that an order should be issued to GMADA for withdrawing the directions to chop down the trees. They said they would write to the National Green Tribunal, Forest Department and Punjab Chief Minister in this regard.