Ludhiana's Mattewara forests. (Express file photo by Gurmeet SIngh)Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan has written a letter to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for saving the Mattewara forest on the banks of river Sutlej in Ludhiana district. He has also favoured taking concrete steps for increasing the forest cover in Punjab from the present level of 3.67 per cent to 33 per cent — which is on a par with the other states.
In his letter, the Speaker has said that ‘Warrior Moms’, ‘Mothers for clean air’ and ‘We support our farms’, ‘Bhai Ghanaiya Cancer Roko Sewa Society’, ‘Naroa Punjab Manch’, besides other social institutions have given very good suggestions for increasing the forest cover. These institutions are raising important issues connected with the environment and forwarding suggestions at regular intervals in order to sensitise the government. The rationale forwarded by such institutions to save Mattewara forest was ignored by the previous governments which is why the destruction of Mattewara forest near Ludhiana looks certain.
The Speaker said that although all the MLAs of Punjab have been raising the issues concerned with saving the environment, the previous governments did not take any constructive steps on these issues. Sandhwan added that the Mattewara forest issue was raised in the recent session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha and the CM had assured that chemical-producing industries would not be allowed in this region. The earlier governments did not take any steps to increase the forest cover in the state.
The Mattewara forest is not only the security cover for wild animals and birds but also it will keep the environment of Ludhiana clean and green, said the Speaker in the letter.
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