Cut one tree in Punjab and you will be forced to plant 10 in its place. This is the provision of the Punjab Protection of Trees Bill, which has been cleared by the state Council of Ministers in their meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Wednesday.This Bill paves way for a legal framework to regulate the felling, removal and transplantation of trees in urban and other non-forest areas. The Bill is expected to be introduced during the ongoing Monsoon Session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha.Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that the Bill also provides for penalties and environmental compensation on those felling trees illegally. A first offence of illegal tree felling will attract a fine of Rs 10,000, which will increase to Rs 35,000 for a second violation and Rs 50,000 for a third offence.It may be mentioned that Punjab has amongst the lowest forest covers in the state at 3.67 per cent of its geographical area, according to the India State of Forest Report — making it one of the least forested states in the country. Even when tree cover outside forests is included, the state’s combined forest and tree cover stands at 12.58 per cent, far below the 33 per cent benchmark envisaged under the National Forest Policy.The Bill has been drafted following directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which had asked the Punjab Government to enact a dedicated law to regulate tree felling in urban areas where no such comprehensive legislation currently exists. Officials maintain that agroforestry and farm-grown commercial tree species will remain outside the ambit of the legislation so that farmers are not discouraged from taking up tree plantations.Cheema said that the Cabinet has also approved the Punjab State Outsourced Personnel (Transition to Contractual Engagement) Bill, which will now be tabled in the ongoing Monsoon Session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, for its enactment. Initially, the government had taken the Ordinance route to pave the way for regularisation in services of 65,000 employees. But the Ordinance was not approved by the Governor of Punjab. “This is a money bill and requires prior approval of the Governor before it is tabled in the House. We are sure that this will be done soon,” he said.Meanwhile, the Cabinet also approved the establishment of three self-financed private digital universities — one in Hoshiarpur and two in Patiala. In addition, it gave its nod to the Punjab Regulation of Fees of Private Unaided Educational Institutions Bill.