Former Punjab Chief Minister, Amarinder Singh who was recently elected as MP from Amritsar, on Wednesday warned the State government and district administration against indiscriminate cutting of trees in the “holy city” under the pretext of widening the roads for putting in place a bus rapid transport system. “I am not against development or widening of roads, but I am definitely not going to allow the indiscriminate slaughter of trees in Amritsar some of which are as old as 200 years,” Captain Singh said through a statement, where he also sought that proper procedures be adopted after necessary clearances from concerned departments like the forests and the environment. The work for the Rs 491 crore BRTS project under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission, was launched earlier this year under direct supervision of the Deputy Chief Minister, Sukhbir Singh Badal. He had assured that on completion by 2016, the project would make a major contribution in decongesting traffic and reducing pollution in the city. Responding to the issue which had caused concern in the city, Captain Singh threatened to move the court, in case the norms were not followed. “We cannot afford and allow Amritsar to be denuded of its green cover,” he said adding that earlier hundreds of trees were cut under the garb of providing a “personal rapid transport system" which never saw light of the day. Now the same was being repeated for a BRTS, which nobody was sure would ever reach its logical conclusion. “I have seen several trees being chopped off in the name of road widening when these could easily have be saved and retained,” Captain Singh said.