Raghbir Singh Brar
Faridkot
June 6,2026
Jal Jeevan Bachao Morcha and many other lovers of the environment assembled on Friday in front of the now defunct sugar mill Faridkot,which is located on Faridkot –Kotkapura road,observing the world Environment day Friday.
The Sugar mill,which played a revolutionary role encouraging the farmers to adopt sugarcane farming in the 1990s,had long ago shut its operations,but it has over 750 decades old trees on its premises which provide a clean environment to the Faridkot town.
About a little less than 80 acres of land belonging to the then sugar mill had been allegedly first alotted to PUDA during the congress government and then to Punjab Small Scale Industries to set up a focal point on this land by the AAP government.
The environmentalists rued that first in 2018, when the congress government led by Captain Amarinder Singh was in Power and allotted the land to PUDA,the AAP leader Gurdit Singh Sekhon,now MLA from Faridkot, had gone on fast unto death against the proposal of cutting down the very valuable and nearly 50 years old trees.
“Then Gurdit Singh Sekhon had observed a hunger strike and it was fully backed by most of the people who love environment.Sekhon demanded the defunct sugar mill to be made functional and no trees be cut down from the premises of the sugar mill .The issue had flared up after some trees had been cut then.But after Sekhon was elected MLA and the AAP government led by Bhagwant Mann came to power, he changed his stance.Now he and his government want to develop a focal point on the same land for which the all trees had to be cut,” alleged Shanker Sharma,convenor of the Jal Jivan Bachao Morcha speaking to the Punjab Express.com over phone.
“When Sekhon went on strike, the number of the full grown trees was over 750 and now I can say that there are more than 1000 trees because many plants have grown seasonally from the seeds of the old trees and some saplings had been planted by the people on their birthdays etc,” said Shankar Sharma.
“Sekhon himself had planted some sapling on the same premises,” alleged Sharma.
“The matter also reached up in the honourable Punjab and Haryana High court where the court has allegedly subjected the felling of the trees,” stated Sharma.
“But the state government has taken the plea that they be approved to cut the trees from that land to develop it and in lieu of that, they be acquired the adjacent land to plant double the saplings.The court has asked them what other options they have explored before this move,” said Sharma.
“Now when the industrialists visit the site,they are alledegdl;y reluctant to purchase the plots because of the thick green cover of the trees.They are apprehensive that if the trees are cut, there may be some movement against it.So that selling of the plots has been stalled,” claimed an environmentalist.
“We woke up only after the media reports that the honourable high court had pulled up the government on this proposal.Otherwise, we did now know that the AAP government was in the pipeline to set up an industrial park and clear the land from the greenery,” he said.
“There was some oxygen hub behind the mill and it has been learnt that there is a proposal to clear it from the trees and make a periphery road,” claimed the source.
Gurdit Singh Sekhon,despite three phone calls,two on Friday and one on Saturday could not be approached for his specific version about it.
“MLA sahab is in the meeting and we shall let him know about your query,’ said the phone attendant today.
It has been learnt that the Punjab government has taken a plea that it would acquire the adjacent land and plant double the number of the cut down trees.
“But on the one hand,you cut down the 50 years or so old trees and plant new saplings replacing that number,how can you justify it.The saplings would take further 50 years to replace them,’ questioned Shanker Sharma.
However,all the environmentalists welcomed the observations of the honourable high court.
Now the talks of the sugar mill is a forgotten thing.It was neither possible then and nor was it to be materliased. The drams sold then have now been shattered.Othwerwise too, When there is no sugarcane growing in the area, what would the mill process.There is only wheat and paddy.
Photos provided by Shankar Sharma,Convenor JJB Mroach Faridkot.
1.Environmentalists assembled outside defunct sugar mill Faridkot.
2.Faridkot MLA Gurdit Singh Sekhon planting sapling.
3.Sekhon on fast unto death in 2018.
4.Sekhon on fast in 2018
5.Then Faridkot MLA Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon offering juice to Sekhon to brake his fast unto death.