A day after the Chandigarh Administration began the process of removal of trees to clear the site for construction of Tribune flyover, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday stayed the uprooting of trees along with the construction process.

The stay order by the Bench of Chief Justice Ravi Shankar Jha and Justice Rajiv Sharma came on an application filed by the “Run Club” for restraining the Chandigarh Administration and other respondents from cutting the trees existing on both sides of Dakshin Marg and Purv Marg for the construction of Tribune flyover.

In its order, the HC took note of the contention that the process of setting up the flyover was being carried out without making necessary amendments in the Chandigarh’s master plan.

The applicant, through senior advocate Puneet Bali, told the Court that cutting of trees would cause irreparable harm to the environment. Terming the plan to replant the mature trees as non-feasible, he said that efforts in the past to ensure re-plantation had miserably failed.

Bali added, “It is ironical that the Chandigarh Master Plan-2031 was prepared and published with much fanfare by the Chandigarh Administration and the same is now being violated.”

Notably, around 545 trees were coming in the way of the flyover and 400 was proposed to be axed, while the Administration had proposed to replant 150.

The foundation stone for the Tribune flyover and underpass was laid by UT administrator VP Singh Badnore in March this year. The 1,142-metre six-lane flyover was proposed to start right after the GMCH-32 roundabout and cover Tribune Chowk along Dakshin Marg.  Besides the flyover, there is a plan to construct an underpass along Purv Marg and an elevated rotary at Tribune Chowk with slip roads on all sides.