Chandigarh, Oct. 16 -- The high court has directed chief secretaries of Punjab and Haryana to sit with forest department officials of respective administrations and come up with policies and endeavors to increase the forest cover.

"In recent past, we are witnessing disastrous consequences ensuing for the public at large on account of various factors including damage to the environment in the form of cutting of trees. This is high time when the state of Punjab and state of Haryana must make endeavors to increase the forest cover over their geographical area," the bench of chief justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and justice Rohit Kapoor observed while seeking affidavits from chief secretaries by October 28.

The order was passed while hearing a...