A large number of green trees have been allegedly cut along the road linking Dhaula and Dhurkot villages in Barnala district ahead of a road construction project, drawing objections from environmental activists. According to environmentalists, the Public Works Department (PWD), Barnala, is set to construct a new road. They alleged that before the commencement of construction work, hundreds of mature trees standing along the sides of the existing road were cut without obtaining necessary permissions.However, Harsh Goyal, Executive Engineer, PWD (B&R), Barnala, said, “We have not cut any tree, and the construction work has not even started yet. This is still a ‘kutcha’ path. Still, I will look into the matter and ask the officials and village panchayats as well.”Meanwhile, the activists claimed the felled trees included neem, peepal, tahli and mulberry species, some of them several decades old. Alleging the tree felling violated environmental regulations, they have sought action against those responsible.They said the district administration should conduct a detailed inquiry into the matter, urging Deputy Commissioner to constitute a special investigation team under the supervision of a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) and take action against those responsible. The environmentalists said they would approach the National Green Tribunal (NGT) if no action was taken in the matter.