Thousands of saplings planted under greening initiatives along the Verka bypass and the central verge of the Amritsar-Majitha road have been destroyed in separate fire incidents, triggering concern among environmental activists and local residents.
A large number of saplings in a forest area being developed in memory of Guru Tegh Bahadur on the Verka bypass were reduced to ashes after a fire swept through the site. Environmental activist Sonu Jandiala alleged that the blaze was not accidental and pointed out that a similar incident had occurred at the same location last year.
“Thousands of saplings in the forest area, which was being developed in memory of Guru Tegh Bahadur, were burnt. The trees had been replanted after last year’s fire, but the same thing has happened again,” he said.
Jandiala alleged that some residents of nearby slums deliberately set the area ablaze to collect dried wood for use as fuel. “The Fire Brigade had to be called in to control the flames. We even handed over the suspected culprits to the police, but they were released as they reportedly had no identification documents and no FIR was registered,” he claimed.
In another incident, a large number of saplings and several medium-sized trees planted on the central verge of the Amritsar-Majitha road were also damaged by fire. Local resident Kewal Singh alleged that the blaze may have started during the burning of weeds growing on the verge.
“Every year, weeds are burnt to clear roadside areas and central medians, and the resulting fires are often blamed on farmers. This practice is causing significant damage to young trees and plantation drives,” he said.
The incidents have sparked outrage among environmentalists, who are demanding a thorough investigation and stricter monitoring to protect public plantations. They have urged the authorities to identify those responsible and ensure that valuable green cover created with public resources is not repeatedly destroyed.