To,
Dr H C Sharatchandra
Chairman, KSPCB
Bangalore 560001
Dear Dr Sharatchandra
AUCTIONING OF ROADSIDE BANYAN TREES WHILE WIDENING ROADS
Greetings. I write this to you in my capacity as Karnataka Tree Warden since 1973.
Bagalur Road is being widened from 5m asphalt to 9 m carriageway currently and eventually to much more. In the process I have observed that many trees between Kannur and Kothanur are being felled and even where this is not necessary, they are severely damaged by the JCB arm tearing down overhanging branches and shaking them loose (like a musth elephant) so that the trunk is shredded on one or more sides, endangering the tree's survival. This must be happening everywhere nowadays.
Even worse, giant banyan trees are being auctioned and sold wherever they come in the way of the necessary widening. It is not clear by whom: the road contractor says it is the Forest Dept, the Forest Dept denies this and says it is the PWD, which again denies responsibility but does not say where the decisions are made and who does the auctioning or how. Whenever roadside trees are felled, the timber contractor who is felling them takes away the main trunk and major branches, and swarms of villagers immediately take away the lops and tops lying around. This of course is fine and useful, except that in the case of banyans, these are precious and hard-to-get planting materials for at least 1000 rooted stakes per full-grown tree.
I therefore request you to please ascertain the exact responsibility for tree-felling during widening, and accordingly issue the appropriate instructions to all concerned for the following:
1, All ficus trees auctioned/felled should be subject to the condition that all branches 5" diameter and below, shall be first be cut into plantable stakes and removed by the Forest Dept either to their mist chamber for sprouting, or preferably planted in situ along the new tree-line alignment which shall be marked out in advance by the PWD or road-widening agency alongside the widened road. Only thereafter can the tree-purchaser take away the main trunk and branches. The Forest Dept should be responsible for harvesting rootable branches, at the cost of the ficus-tree-buyer if necessary.
2, If the Forest Dept does not wish to have so many rooting stakes, they can ensure that they reach the hands of tree-planting NGOs who will utilise this scarce resource wisely elsewhere, like the Navachetana Trust (Srinivasa Raju, 94495 96880, plus@satyam.net.in) which plans to afforest the Melkote area especially with ficus species. The Forest Dept is probably already aware of such green NGOs, to whom the availability of ficus stakes can be publicised. (Also of any other roadside species like erythrina which can root from planted branches).
3, The Forest Dept or its designated tree-trimming agents shall be asked to move ahead of the road-contractors to decently trim all branches that need to be cut back, so as to inflict minimum damage to surviving roadside trees which do not need to be felled. As there is a cost to this service, it should be budgeted for and included in the Tender for that stretch of road as an activity as necessary as preparing the road-bed etc, and paid by the PWD or equivalent to the Forest Dept (or Electricity Dept if they have spare mobile ladders) as tree-trimming charges. the PWD or equivalent should not give the go-ahead for road widening until the professionally correct tree-trimming activity is completed. Ideally, a vehicle-mounted ladder with an electric saw powered by the vehicle/tractor engine, should be a standard advance item of road-widening equipment.
Please publicise the above directions after issue for the benefit of all environment-conscious citizens. I would be grateful for a reply and an email copy of the same.
As I do not have the emails of the Ministry of Environment and Forest and the Forest Dept, please forward this email to the concerned agencies as you think fit, copy to me.
Thanking you and always with pleasure at your service,
Yours sincerely,
Almitra Patel
Mrs Almitra H. Patel
Member, Supreme Court Committee for Solid Waste Management
50 Kothnur, Bagalur Road
Bangalore 560077
Phone: 080-2846 5365
Fax/Phone: 080-2846 5195
This was sent to me too. Thought it might interest tree lovers and so posting it here.
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