BARNALA, May 20 -- Days after a joint committee constituted by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) recommended registration of a case and disciplinary action against Barnala officials for large-scale illegal felling and uprooting of trees on government land, the police have lodged an FIR against unknown persons. The joint committee comprising representatives of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEF&CC) and the Punjab forest department, in its May 11 report, had recommended action against the officials allegedly involved in the drive carried out without mandatory permissions and under the watch of officials of the improvement trust. However, the Barnala police registered an FIR under Section 303 (2) (theft) against unknown persons on the complaint of the improvement trust's executive officer. According to the complaint, the trust was developing the site, and some local slum dwellers allegedly sneaked in and stole dry as well as green trees from the area. Barnala deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Satvir Singh said that the police had not received any intimation from the NGT. "We have registered the FIR based on reminders from the improvement trust. In case the official instructions are received, the FIR will be modified accordingly," he said. The case stems from an application filed by one Gurpreet Singh, who alleged that nearly 140 trees, some around 50 years old, were illegally uprooted using excavators on the improvement trust land near Phawara Chowk in Barnala. The trees reportedly included neem, banyan, peepal, mulberry, teak, kikar, tahli and jand species. The panel noted that the improvement trust failed to produce any permission, tree enumeration records or official documents authorising the felling of trees. The matter is listed for the next hearing in NGT on July 3....