Sangrur, April 19 -- Authorities have failed to take action two months after the illegal felling of around 60 trees on panchayati land in Balad Kalan village in Sangrur district. The incident, which occurred between February 1 and 12, has drawn attention after it was brought before the Punjab and Haryana high court in March.

Complainants Amrik Singh, Jaswinder Kaur and Ranjit Kaur, a member of the gram panchayat, allege that sarpanch Gurpreet Singh and panchayat member Rampal Singh were responsible for the illegal tree cutting. They claim the accused falsely presented permission for the action, while the block development and panchayat officer (BDPO) Lenin Garg failed to intervene despite knowing about the situation.

The divisional fore...