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New Indian Express
4 days ago
- General
- New Indian Express
Environmentalists upset after state highways plant trees in centre median of Dharmapuri-Harur Road
DHARMAPURI: Environmentalists in Dharmapuri have condemned the state highways department for planting tree saplings in the center median of the Dharmapuri-Harur Road. They argue the trees planted in the median are dying due to poor planning and, even if they survive, their roots will eventually damage the road. Under the Chief Minister's Road Development Programme, the roads between Dharmapuri and Harur via Morappur (33.2 km) and the Harur-Tiruvannamalai road (15.1 km) were upgraded to four-lane roads. As part of this project, the roads were partitioned with a center median to ensure smooth traffic flow and prevent collisions. However, the state highways department has planted trees such as Vembu, Pungan, tamarind, and other native species in the center median. This has angered environmentalists, who believe the trees will not survive due to poor planning and planting techniques. Speaking to TNIE, M Umashanker, a member of the Dharmapuri Peoples Forum, said, "A neem tree is planted in a four-foot-wide center median. In a year, the roots of the tree could spread more than four or five meters. Won't the roads be damaged then? This road, constructed at a cost of Rs 410 crore, will be destroyed in a matter of years. It is a waste of resources and hard work. Moreover, hundreds of these trees are dying because the state highways department failed to undertake road milling prior to laying roads. How will they ensure saplings survive without any soil? This is pure negligence." S Senthilkumar, another member, said, "The tree planting is a perfunctory procedure. No one truly monitors the planted trees. Near Solakottai school, neem trees planted two meters apart in the center median are already dead. Furthermore, the state highways staff have planted the Conocarpus plant, which has been banned in Tamil Nadu. If the state highways want to plant trees, they should do it at the edges of the roads where they have room to grow in the soil and ensure that the trees used are beneficial to the environment." Despite multiple efforts, officials in the state highways department were not reachable for comment.
Time of India
10-07-2025
- Time of India
Activists fume as tree is reduced to trunk
Trichy: Amid calls for stringent enforcement against those illegally axing and trimming trees at public places in Trichy city, a 15-year-old native tree at Thiruvanaikoil was unscientifically trimmed by unidentified people on Thursday. Locals said a Pungan tree (Indian beech) on Kumbakonathan road was found trimmed completely in the morning. While prior permission from the revenue department is mandatory to trim or axe trees at public places, the Pungan tree was reduced to a trunk, infuriating environmental activists here. This was the fourth such incident of trees at public places being targeted in the last few months. "The tree was not causing any harm to the electricity lines. We were told that a section of people who were unhappy with vendors putting up makeshift vegetable stalls below the tree have trimmed the tree," K C Neelamegam, working president, Thanneer eNGO, said. Citing an incident in Coimbatore where a man was penalized Rs1 lakh for unscientifically trimming a peepal tree, Neelamegam said that lack of such enforcements in Trichy encourages residents and commercial outlets to axe and trim native trees in public places. Revenue officials in Srirangam said they are yet to receive a formal complaint about the incident.
The Hindu
06-06-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Sapling plantation drives undertaken across Coimbatore district to aid environmental restoration
As part of efforts to improve green cover and restore ecological balance, large-scale sapling plantation initiatives were undertaken across Coimbatore district. The Coimbatore District Crusher and Quarry Association, in association with the Department of Mining, planted over 3,000 saplings, including native varieties such as mango, neem, Arasu, Vakai and Pungan in the Chettipalayam locality, marking the occasion of World Environment Day. An additional 2,000 saplings were planted in Mettupalayam, taking the total to 5,000 saplings across the district. Additional Collector, Coimbatore District Rural Development Agency, Sanket Balwant Waghe, Deputy Director of Geology and Mining G. Panneerselvam, state president of the Crusher and Quarry Association K. Chinnaswamy, and district president KCP Chandra Prakash were among those present at the event. The Cauvery Calling movement, led by the Isha Foundation, facilitated the planting of 1.36 crore saplings across 34,000 acres in the Cauvery River basin during the year 2024-25. With this, the total number of saplings planted since the movement's inception reached 12.2 crore. Saplings including teak, red sandalwood, and mahogany are distributed at subsidised rates as a part of this initiative.
