06 June, 2026 – Faridkot : 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, aimed at clearing 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 put the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its local MLA, Gurdit Singh Sekhon, on the defensive. Protesters at the site on Friday began flashing videos and photographs from May 2021, when Sekhon — then an Opposition leader — alongside former AAP MP Sadhu Singh, led a fast 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 cut the remaining canopy.
The scale of the proposed environmental clearance has drawn strict scrutiny from the Punjab and Haryana High Court too.
A week ago, a Division Bench of the High Court, said the court could not “close its eyes” to the large-scale tree felling. Expressing displeasure over the lack of administrative effort to locate alternative sites for the industrial hub, the Bench directed 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 the 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 necessary to lay roads as per the proposed layout. However, we have a comprehensive plan to plant a large number of trees to compensate for the loss. I deeply honour the sentiments of our residents, and we will proceed strictly as per the HC directions,” Sekhon said. Marking World Environment Day on Friday, many local tree-lovers, social activists and members of 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.
The Tribune