Among the 12,000-odd large trees (over 70 cm in diameter) being axed for the development of the National Highway (NH) 66 in Alappuzha, one ‘lucky’ banyan tree is set to get a new lease of life.
A group of environmentalists and social workers have approached the Alappuzha district administration seeking permission to translocate the tree by the side of NH near Punnapra to another place. "The tree is over 30 years old and is facing the chop for the road expansion project. The tree is considered sacred by the followers of Buddhism and Hinduism. We recently met the District Collector and informed him of our desire to translocate the tree. We are ready to bear the cost of the operation. Initial talks have also been held with two temples and two schools in the area for transplanting the tree. A couple of them have shown an interest in hosting the tree," said social worker Habeeb Thayyil.
Based on the appeal, District Collector V.R. Krishna Teja has sent a request to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). “It is for the NHAI to take a final call on the matter,” Mr. Teja said.
NHAI response
An NHAI official said the issue was yet to come up before the authority, but it was ready to support any effort to relocate the tree. K. Saji, deputy conservator (social forestry), Alappuzha, said they were ready to provide technical assistance to translocate the tree. A few months ago, the Social Forestry wing of the Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department had successfully relocated a tree on the Alappuzha-Changanassery (AC) road to a resort. "Translocation of trees has been found to be effective to some extent. But it involves a lot of effort and money. The department does not have the funds for large-scale relocation of trees," Mr. Saji said.
To compensate for the tree loss by widening the Thuravoor-Oachira stretch of the NH 66 to 45 metres, the Social Forestry wing will plant saplings across the district with funding from the NHAI.
