CHANDIGARH — The Radha Soami Satsang Beas Dera in Bir Ghaggar, Panchkula, has been found to have felled and removed native forest tree species from land diverted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in 1998, according to a joint committee report submitted to the National Green Tribunal.
The committee led by retired District and Sessions Judge BM Bedi, concluded that while 40.34 hectares of forest land were handed over to the dera along with 4,322 trees (including khair, teak, and shisham), these native species are now “largely missing.”
During a site visit, the panel observed that the land had been pulverized, leveled, and developed into gardens featuring commercial tree species like teak and horticultural trees, which are different from the original forest composition.
“The native forest tree species… are largely missing as of date, which clearly indicates that these forest tree species have been felled and removed from the site,” the report stated. Although the exact number of illegally felled trees cannot be quantified due to the leveling and development of the land, the replacement of native species with commercial and horticultural crops is evident.
Violation of Forest Conservation Act
The crucial condition during the 1998 diversion: the land was to be used for tree plantation, and “no construction will be undertaken over this land.”
However, the report also highlighted multiple construction violations:
• The dera has constructed specific structures, including the recent extension of an iron shed with a concrete floor, which the committee deemed a “clear violation” of the Forest Conservation Act.
• The dera had already applied for ex-post facto approval for changes in layout after a 2024 report noted the permanent construction of office buildings. While the ministry granted in-principle approval, imposing a penal net present value of ₹46.82 lakh, the latest extension of the iron shed remains a new violation.
• The committee also found that approximately 15 acres of the diverted land are occupied by private houses of followers, built as a “small unorganised colony.”
Previously, the dera joint secretary had denied all allegations, asserting that more trees had been planted and cared for, and had termed the original petition against them a counterblast to an FIR they had filed. The findings however, directly contradict these claims confirming the illegal felling and unauthorized construction.