Chandigarh, Jan. 30 -- The Punjab and Haryana high court (HC) on Thursday appointed a panel to look into the allegations of indiscriminate felling of trees for a shopping mall in Mohali's Sector 62.

The order was passed by the bench of chief justice Sheel Nagu and justice Sanjiv Berry during resumed hearing of a clutch of PILs challenging Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) decision to allow cutting of Mango and heritage trees for construction of a shopping mall for which two plots have been sold to a private firm for nearly Rs.900 crore. Acting on the PIL, in December the court stayed further felling of trees on the spot.

Petitioners have alleged procedural lapses in granting approval for axing of trees on 13 acres of lan...