Chandigarh, Aug. 25 -- In a controversial move, officials from the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP), accompanied by police, began cutting down over 1,500 trees in a 7.5-acre orchard in Sector 6, Rohtak, late Sunday night. The action, aimed at clearing the land for residential plots, sparked outrage among locals including a farmer who nurtured the orchard for over two decades.
Farmer Rajbir Rathi, who planted the trees 20-25 years ago, was devastated to find them being felled. In protest, he climbed a banyan tree, tying a rope around his neck, and threatened to take his life if the tree-cutting continued. Rathi claimed that a National Green Tribunal (NGT) stay order protects the trees, yet authorities proceeded with the operation.
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