Hundreds of trees, along with plants and shrubs, planted by the Forest Department along the Patiala-Devigarh-Pehowa main road were destroyed in fire on Friday.
The trees had been planted as part of government campaigns aimed at increasing greenery and protecting the environment. Forest guards, officers and other staff had also been deployed for their upkeep.
Despite this, some trees, plants and shrubs were seen burning throughout the day on Friday. Forest officials reached the spot late in the afternoon.
As the fire spread on a large stretch in the area, residents alleged negligence on the part of the Forest Department.
Forest Guard Bittu Singh told the media that he was handling double-charge duties and that the large area under his supervision made it difficult to detect fires immediately. He added that whenever information about a fire was received, efforts were made to extinguish it.
Meanwhile, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Satinder Singh told The Tribune that he had dispatched a team of the department officials to the spot. “We will extinguish the fire and assess the losses,” he said.
