A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the Rs 1,878.31 crore 6-lane Zirakpur Bypass project.
Panchkula resident Prem Nath Sharma, 86, retired commandant, in the petition filed through advocates Hanima Grewal and Abhyudaya Sharma, challenged the project on the ground that it will cause huge loss to the environment.
He said the project will cause harm to the rapidly depleting green cover and forest ecosystem of the tricity region.
The petitioner prayed before the court to pass an interim order prohibiting the respondent authorities from implementing the project and beginning the process of cutting trees.
The 19‑km project will commence from NH‑7 (Chandigarh‑Rajpura‑Patiala) and terminate at NH‑5 (Zirakpur‑Parwanoo Road), forming part of the proposed Tri‑City Ring Road
He said the project will result in the felling of more than 5,000 mature trees, including over 2,000 trees from forest land in Punjab, more than 2,200 trees within the Panchkula Golf Course and approximately 1,000 trees from Sector-1A Panchkula and adjoining green belts, representing loss of 20-30-year-old ecological assets.
The petitioner said the challenge in the present petition is not limited to tree felling, but extends to the destruction of an integrated ecological system comprising mature tree canopy, shrubs, ground vegetation, slope-stabilising flora, and wildlife habitat, which together perform critical environmental, hydrological and climatic functions.
The ecological value of this corridor lies in its multi-functional role, such as a micro-climate regulator through canopy shading and evapotranspiration, a slope-stabilizing system preventing soil erosion along the Ghaggar riverbank, a hydrological buffer regulating runoff and groundwater recharge, and a biodiversity corridor supporting wildlife and avian movement.
The Panchkula Golf Course, spread over approximately 124 acres and housing nearly 14,000 mature trees, functions as a major urban ecological buffer. The proposed alignment cuts across multiple fairways, fragmenting a long-established ecological system.
The vegetation along the Ghaggar riverbank performs a critical engineering function by stabilizing slopes and regulating sediment flow.
Its removal is likely to result in soil erosion, slope destabilization, and potential alteration of the river course, thereby increasing downstream flood risk.
The compensatory afforestation proposed at distant locations such as Firozpur, Punjab, and Morni, Haryana, situated many miles away, is illusory and incapable of restoring the localized ecological functions of mature vegetation systems.
As per the India State of Forest Report 2023, Punjab and Haryana have forest cover of only 3.67% and 3.65%, respectively, far below the national average of 21.71% and the 33% benchmark under the National Forest Policy, 1988. Further diversion of forest land in such circumstances constitutes ecological regression.
An independent expert technical assessment has identified a feasible micro-realignment option involving a lateral shift of approximately 60 metres, positioning the elevated corridor within the wider and substantially dry Ghaggar riverbed, thereby avoiding destruction of the green corridor.
The final stretch of highway abutting the Golf course of 2 km is expected to generate heat equivalent to approximately 60, 000 air conditioners running continuously.
