Ludhiana, Jan. 8 -- Two residents have been booked in separate cases for illegal pruning and axing of trees in the city on the complaint of the municipal corporation's horticulture wing. In the past five years, only two such FIRs have been registered in the city, an MC official said. Environmental activists say such incidents frequently take place.

In the first case, an unidentified person has been accused of axing a silver oak tree from a park in BRS Nagar, Block-D. The tree was reportedly removed from the root on December 20. Based on a complaint filed by the executive engineer (horticulture), a case under Section 303(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered.

In the second case, a Gurdev Nagar resident has been book...