Move to cut down old trees opposed

The activists have urged the Nilgiris district administration to spare the trees and find an alternative route for the highway.Sources said the NHAI started a road widening work along 25 kilometres over 15 days ago and this stretch had more than 10 trees which are held as a ‘symbol of Coonoor.’  NHAI proposes to widen the road since this stretch witnesses frequent traffic jams whenever there is a surge in the number of tourists. 

Sources added that cypress and jacaranda trees could be seen on the road at the entrance to Coonoor. Vijay Krishnaraj, a wildlife activist and former secretary, the Nilgiris Environment and Wildlife Association, told  DTNext the officials should spare these trees. “In the name of road expansion, trees should not be cut down at any cost. These rare trees are over 100 years old and are the mark of Coonoor. Tourists who come to Coonoor stop their vehicles and wonder at these trees,” he said. They would file a petition if the officials went ahead with their plan, they said. 

“Truly, these trees add to the beauty of this hill station and are a major attraction for tourists. If the trees are cut down, it will give scope for landslide in the future. When a lot of vehicles take this main route, such big trees play a major role in withstanding pressure on the roads,” said a forest official who did not want to be identified. Though the officials were planting new saplings as a replacement, the official was doubtful about their proper maintenance. “In the last 20 years, there have been two major landslides particularly on this stretch. 

So we should think twice before cutting down trees in the name of development,” the official added. Ganesh Kumar Saride, Project Director, NHAI, Coimbatore Region, said he was not aware of the tree cutting move. “We will look into the issue and see an alternative instead of cutting down trees which will be in place,” he said, adding that NHAI would take up the issue with the district administration. Dr. P Shankar, District Collector of the Nilgiris, assured that the trees would not be cut down. “We will instruct officials to be cautious and not to cut down trees during widening roads,” he said.