A controversy has erupted after environmentalists alleged that shrubs are being cleared and small trees cut at midnight for the past two days in a long-established peafowl habitat in Longowal village to make way for a sports stadium.Environmental groups and some local residents have opposed the proposed project, claiming that the site has served as a natural habitat for peacocks and peafowls for several decades.They argue that the shrinking of peafowl habitats across Punjab due to deforestation has already confined the birds to only a handful of locations, and further destruction of green cover will worsen the situation.Environmentalist Jaswinder Kaur said authorities had allegedly moved heavy machinery to the site to begin clearing trees.“We have received information that authorities have sent earthmovers for felling trees. This area has been home to peacocks and peafowls for many years,” she said.Residents, led by Jaswinder Kaur, have also submitted a representation to Sangrur Deputy Commissioner Poonamdeep Kaur, urging the administration to halt the felling of trees for the construction of a boundary wall for the proposed stadium, as the matter is pending in court and an environmental assessment is awaited.Deputy Commissioner Poonamdeep Kaur said, “First of all, it is not a protected forest and secondly, after receiving the complaint of tree felling, I checked with the XEN concerned and he stated that no tree has been cut.”The Punjab Government’s plan involves the construction of a sports stadium in Longowal village at an estimated cost of Rs 4 crore. The project is being executed by Public Works Department (PWD) on a site adjoining the local police station.According to environmentalists, nearly 200 mature trees are proposed to be cleared on the approximately seven-acre site, which is believed to support more than 100 peafowls.Conservationists point out that peafowls depend on dense and undisturbed tree cover for roosting, nesting and foraging. They have raised concerns that any disturbance to the area could adversely affect the birds, which enjoy the highest level of legal protection under the Wildlife (Protection) Act as a Schedule-I species.Government authorities and political leaders have defended the project, citing plans to transplant trees and preserve portions of the green area.However, environmentalists argue that relocating trees and retaining only parts of the site will not prevent fragmentation of the habitat and could still threaten the long-term survival of the peafowl population in the area.