Chandigarh, Aug. 7 -- Environmentalists have raised strong objections to the draft of the Punjab protection of trees bill, which the state government plans to table in the legislative assembly before November. Introduced in response to National Green Tribunal directives, the bill aims to regulate tree felling in urban and non-forest areas. However, experts say it lacks teeth and fails to address Punjab's broader environmental concerns. Speaking at a press conference at the Press Club on Wednesday, a panel of environmentalists criticised the bill for limiting its jurisdiction to urban areas, which comprise just 4.16 percent of the state's geographical area. With 95.84 percent of Punjab being rural, the exclusion of these regions undermines the bill's impact. Activists also flagged the lenient penalties proposed in the bill. The maximum fine for illegal tree felling is capped at Rs.50,000. The bill mandates planting of only two trees for every tree cut, with a care period of three months. Environmentalist Samita Kaur pointed out that the bill permits tree felling for "development," a term that remains undefined. Kapil Arora, another panelist, said the bill excludes incentives such as carbon credits or agroforestry models. Dr Manjit Singh highlighted the absence of any reference to heritage trees in the draft. Col. Jasjit Gill underscored the need for a comprehensive tree census and geo-tagging.htc...