Chandigarh, August 5: Chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Cabinet has given its assent to the Punjab Protection of Trees Bill, setting up comprehensive regulations for tree felling across non-forest and urban zones. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema announced that the draft law penalizes unauthorized tree cutting with a structured fine system capped at 50,000 rupees for repeated violations, alongside compulsory compensatory afforestation requiring ten saplings for every tree removed. The bill seeks to address ecological deficits in a state where natural forest cover accounts for just 3.67 per cent of geographical area.
Drafted to meet National Green Tribunal directives, the legislation specifically exempts farm-grown timber and agroforestry activities to ensure agricultural practices remain unhindered. Finance Minister Cheema noted that the Cabinet concurrently approved the Punjab State Outsourced Personnel (Transition to Contractual Engagement) Bill, resorting to legislative action after a prior ordinance regarding 65,000 workers did not receive gubernatorial assent. The Cabinet also granted approval for setting up three private digital universities across Patiala and Hoshiarpur, alongside regulatory frameworks for private educational institution fees.
