An environmental and political row has erupted in Faridkot over the state government’s proposal to axe 784 decades-old, full-grown trees standing on the premises of the defunct Faridkot Cooperative Sugar Mill. The move, intended to clear the 137-acre site for an industrial park, has met with strong opposition from local residents, farmer unions and environmental organisations under the banner of the Jal Jeevan Bachao Morcha (JJBM).
The controversy has pushed the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its local MLA, Gurdit Singh Sekhon, onto the defensive. Protesters at the site on Friday began displaying videos and photographs from May 2021, when Sekhon—then an opposition leader—alongside former AAP Member of Parliament Sadhu Singh, led an aggressive hunger strike against the erstwhile Congress government’s plan to axe 2,100 trees at the same location. While that agitation successfully saved around 800 heritage trees, residents are now voicing disappointment that the same leadership is seeking approval to fell the remaining canopy.
The scale of the proposed environmental clearance has also drawn strict scrutiny from the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
A week ago, a Division Bench of the High Court stated that it could not “close its eyes” to the large-scale felling of trees. Expressing displeasure over the lack of administrative effort to locate alternative sites for the industrial hub, the Bench directed the project proponents to place detailed material on record, including Google satellite imagery and at least 10 high-resolution photographs from multiple angles.
Defending the project, MLA Gurdit Singh Sekhon admitted that there was a plan to develop industrial infrastructure but maintained that environmental balance would be preserved.
“The development of an industrial park is crucial for local employment. The axing of some trees is strictly necessary to lay essential roads within the proposed layout. However, we have a comprehensive plan to plant a large number of trees to compensate for this loss. I deeply respect the sentiments of our residents, and we will proceed strictly as per the High Court’s directions,” Sekhon said.
Marking World Environment Day on Friday, many local tree lovers, social activists and student groups gathered at the mill site, raising slogans against what they termed the “double standards” of administrative policies that promote symbolic sapling drives while dismantling century-old ecosystems.
“These trees are not mere timber; they are the heritage and lungs of Faridkot, housing thousands of birds,” said Shankar Sharma, convener of the Jal Jeevan Bachao Morcha.
