PIL Filed in High Court to Halt Tree Felling for Tricity Ring Road Project
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been submitted to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, challenging the forest clearances granted for the ambitious Tricity Ring Road project. The petition, filed by 21 individuals through senior advocate Anand Chhibbar, demands an immediate stop to the cutting of trees in ecologically sensitive areas across Punjab and Haryana.
Project Details and Ecological Concerns
The PIL targets the 6-lane Zirakpur bypass or access-controlled spur connectivity project, which is a crucial component of the Tricity Ring Road initiative undertaken by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Spanning approximately 19.2 kilometers, this infrastructure development is set to traverse through several vital green zones.
The petitioners have highlighted that the project will impact:
- Forest patches in Punjab
- The Ghaggar riverine belt
- Dense scrub forests located in Panchkula
- The Sector-1A green belt in Panchkula
- Panchkula Golf Course
According to the plea, more than 5,000 mature trees, many aged between 20 to 30 years, are slated for felling. This includes over 2,000 trees from notified forest land in Punjab, more than 2,200 trees from the Panchkula Golf Course, and around 1,000 trees from Sector-1A and adjacent green belts.
Constitutional and Environmental Violations Alleged
The petition asserts that the forest clearances violate constitutional mandates under Articles 21, 48A, and 51A(g), which guarantee the right to a clean, healthy, and pollution-free environment. It argues that the project disregards established environmental principles such as the precautionary principle, sustainable development, public trust doctrine, and intergenerational equity.
The plea states, "The impugned project violates the constitutional mandate and runs contrary to environmental jurisprudence, which recognizes these principles as integral to Indian environmental law."
Criticism of Project Design and Compensatory Measures
Questioning the project's design, the petition contends that the proposed partially elevated corridor, with a height of 5.5-6 meters, is insufficient to protect mature trees that stand 8-15 meters tall. This design flaw makes large-scale tree felling inevitable, even in elevated sections.
Additionally, the compensatory afforestation plan, which involves planting saplings in Ferozepur over 240 kilometers away, has been termed as illusory. The petitioners warn that mature ecosystems cannot be replaced by young saplings, which take decades to achieve ecological equivalence and often suffer high mortality rates.
Broader Environmental Context and Alternative Proposals
The PIL places the issue within a larger environmental framework, noting that Punjab and Haryana have forest and tree cover of just 3.67% and 3.65%, respectively. These figures are far below the national average of 21.71% and the 33% benchmark set by the National Forest Policy. The petition describes further diversion of forest land as "ecological regression of alarming magnitude."
To mitigate the damage, the petitioners have proposed alternative alignments for the project. These include rerouting the ring road to connect with existing highways or along the Ghaggar riverbed. Such alternatives, they argue, would preserve critical green zones without compromising connectivity objectives.
Seeking Judicial Intervention
The PIL seeks the quashing of the Stage-I forest clearance dated July 31, 2025, and the Stage-II clearance dated January 8, 2026. It also calls for the annulment of all consequential approvals that permit the diversion of 17.57 hectares (43.416 acres) of forest land. The petitioners urge the High Court to issue directions for immediate remedial action to halt tree felling and protect the Tricity's last surviving green belt.
