NAGPUR: Over 10 full-grown trees crashed down in various parts of the city after a squall about a week ago. All trees had been choked at their trunk by tar used in road work, their roots weakened by lack of enough percolated water.
Terming the loss to the city's green cover as unfortunate, former chairman of standing committee and senior corporator Sandip Joshi said that provisions of Rs 20 lakh were made in the last budget for clearing the area near the base of the trees. "The Save Tree Project was proposed in the budget and also got approval of the general body. Despite this, officials did not implement the project in last 12 months. The project should be started or big trees will continue to die," he said.
The storm on May 4 was not very strong, yet all the big trees, many several decades old, could not sustain it. A big tamarind tree fell down near Udyog Bhavan in Civil Lines. Three neem trees came down at Zero Mile square, near Surendra Nagar Basketball ground and near Cotton Market, followed by two cassia trees on Amravati road between Ravi Nagar Square and University Campus Square. A gulmohar tree crashed down between GPO Square and Bole Petrol pump square, while big trees also fell down near Tatya Tope Hall, in Friends Colony and near Government Milk Dairy. It was evident that the trees had been choked as they did not get uprooted but broke off from the surface of the road.
Tree activist Shrikant Deshpande told TOI that the situation is becoming worse day by day. "I have seen many fallen trees, especially the one that came down in Zero Mile square. Road tar had choked the trees and water could not percolate and reach their roots. Due to lack of water, the tree trunks were hollowed out by termites. Similar termite attacks are seen in large numbers of big trees in various parts of West and South-West Nagpur. If they continue, the greenery areas like in West and South-West Nagpur will lose all big trees in the coming five years," he said.
Deshpande chided the NMC for not following the court's directives. "The high court had issued directives to the authorities to dig up some portion of the road around the tree trunks. It was only carried out areas near the High Court. The remaining trees are left to succumb. It's beyond the limit of understanding as to whose orders NMC will pay heed to save the trees," he said.
A senior NMC official said that the drive to clear choke up of the trees was undertaken. "Work was done in many areas on footpaths. But the problem is still existing on the roads as tarring is done up to the trees," he said.
Terming the loss to the city's green cover as unfortunate, former chairman of standing committee and senior corporator Sandip Joshi said that provisions of Rs 20 lakh were made in the last budget for clearing the area near the base of the trees. "The Save Tree Project was proposed in the budget and also got approval of the general body. Despite this, officials did not implement the project in last 12 months. The project should be started or big trees will continue to die," he said.
The storm on May 4 was not very strong, yet all the big trees, many several decades old, could not sustain it. A big tamarind tree fell down near Udyog Bhavan in Civil Lines. Three neem trees came down at Zero Mile square, near Surendra Nagar Basketball ground and near Cotton Market, followed by two cassia trees on Amravati road between Ravi Nagar Square and University Campus Square. A gulmohar tree crashed down between GPO Square and Bole Petrol pump square, while big trees also fell down near Tatya Tope Hall, in Friends Colony and near Government Milk Dairy. It was evident that the trees had been choked as they did not get uprooted but broke off from the surface of the road.
Tree activist Shrikant Deshpande told TOI that the situation is becoming worse day by day. "I have seen many fallen trees, especially the one that came down in Zero Mile square. Road tar had choked the trees and water could not percolate and reach their roots. Due to lack of water, the tree trunks were hollowed out by termites. Similar termite attacks are seen in large numbers of big trees in various parts of West and South-West Nagpur. If they continue, the greenery areas like in West and South-West Nagpur will lose all big trees in the coming five years," he said.
Deshpande chided the NMC for not following the court's directives. "The high court had issued directives to the authorities to dig up some portion of the road around the tree trunks. It was only carried out areas near the High Court. The remaining trees are left to succumb. It's beyond the limit of understanding as to whose orders NMC will pay heed to save the trees," he said.
A senior NMC official said that the drive to clear choke up of the trees was undertaken. "Work was done in many areas on footpaths. But the problem is still existing on the roads as tarring is done up to the trees," he said.
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