A blow to `Green Chennai' programme

By P. Oppili

CHENNAI, JAN. 13. Even as the Forest Department and Chennai Corporation are vociferous about beautifying the city with `Green Chennai' programmes, a 25-year-old neem tree on Fifth Avenue, Besant Nagar was axed by a resident today.

The tree was allegedly felled by the resident without any permission from the Corporation or the Forest Department. The attempts to dissuade the resident from felling it proved futile, the neighbours told this reporter.

Already the Corporation had started the road widening work a week ago, but even the officials had only pruned a few branches which were protruding and the residents also requested the officials not to fell any tree, said Mr. G. S. Srinivasan.

When the resident was contacted, he said, when it was felled, the inmates were away and it was done without their knowledge.

However, the neighbours refuted this and they said even as the tree was felled, a group of people residing nearby pleaded in vain to the resident to stop axing the tree.

Moreover the axed tree was on the road and it was not posing a threat either to the compound of the house nor the road users, so there was no need to cut it, said Mrs. Anuradha Cheyyur, another resident on Fifth Avenue. `We are already objecting to the Corporation's road widening work, as the movement of road roller up and down would affect the roots of the trees', she said.

When the Corporation officials were informed, they promised that severe action would be taken against the resident and a police complaint could be lodged against him, said the residents.

However, even after the appointment of `Honorary Tree Wardens' by the Forest Department to protect existing trees, the tree felling could not be curbed in the city effectively, tree lovers lamented.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : Southern suburbs assured of adequate water
Next     : MTC to run special buses from airport to star
           hotels