February 10, 2026 : The National Green Tribunal has declined to pass any further directions in a case alleging illegal tree felling and unauthorized construction on land notified under the Punjab Land Preservation Act in Hoshiarpur district, observing that the claims regarding tree cutting were not supported by evidence.
The matter arose from a complaint filed by Jatinder Kumar Chabba on the Tribunal’s Public Grievances Portal, which was treated as an original application. The complaint alleged large-scale violations of environmental laws, including illegal felling of trees and change of land use in Khasra numbers 279, 280, 307 and 308/2 at village Khuralgarh, Tehsil Garhshankar, District Hoshiarpur. The applicant claimed that land covered under Sections 4 and 5 of the Punjab Land Preservation Act, 1900 had been misused for construction of houses, shops, roads and religious structures, and that authorities had failed to prevent the violations.
On August 7, 2024, the Tribunal constituted a Joint Committee comprising the District Magistrate, Hoshiarpur, the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Hoshiarpur, and the Punjab State Pollution Control Board. The panel was directed to inspect the site and take remedial action if violations of environmental laws or illegal tree cutting were found.
In its report dated November 5, 2024, the DFO, Garhshankar, stated that demarcation revealed unauthorized construction over 84,662.97 square feet in Khasra numbers 280 and 307. A notice under Section 4 of the Punjab Land Preservation Act was issued for removal of the construction. However, the officer reported that no illegal cutting of trees was found in the area.
Subsequent replies were filed by the State authorities and other respondents. The DFO informed the Tribunal that a complaint in the form of a challan had been filed before the competent court against the concerned religious shrine for alleged violations of forest and land preservation laws. The land in question was stated to be privately owned by Shri Guru Ravidas Historical Religious Place Charan Sho Ganga (Amrit Kund), Khuralgarh Sahib, and not government land. The shrine also relied on a civil court judgment dated January 30, 2024, which declared it owner in possession of the property and granted a permanent injunction against interference.
The Bench, comprising Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and Expert Member Dr. Afroz Ahmad, noted that although construction had allegedly been raised in violation of Section 4 of the Punjab Land Preservation Act, proceedings in that regard were already pending before the Judicial Magistrate. As far as the allegation of illegal tree felling was concerned, the Tribunal observed that the applicant neither appeared during the hearings nor filed any material to substantiate the claim. In the absence of supporting evidence, the allegations could not be accepted. Holding that no further intervention was required, the Tribunal disposed of the miscellaneous application.
Case Reference : Misc. Application in Disposed of Cases No. 79/2025 in Original Application No. 785/2024, Mr. Jatinder Kumar Chabba vs State of Punjab & Ors.; Counsels: None for the applicant; Mr. Dipankar Aggarwal, Advocate for Respondent Nos. 1 to 3; Mr. Harbhajan Singh, DFO, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar at Garhshankar; Mr. Shamshad Siddiqui, Proxy Counsel for Mr. J.H. Jafri, Advocate for Respondent No. 4; and Mr. Shivam Prashar and Mr. Ankit Dhiman, Advocates for Respondent No. 5.
