CHENNAI: A team from a private company was on Friday prevented from planting saplings at Nandanam by the State highways department. Department officials reportedly told the team that no authorisation had been given for the purpose. Furthermore, they took away around 50 tree guards meant for protecting the saplings.
A 25-member team, as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility, wanted to plant 50 saplings on the pavement along Anna Salai near the Government Arts College, Nandanam. The team manager told Express, “Around 1 PM, two officials claiming to be from the State highways department arrived. They said we did not have the required permission and threatened us with police action.”
The manager said officials took away the 50 tree guards, leaving behind the saplings. He wondered about the action, as the team had planted saplings in several areas last year without any problem. He requested personal anonymity as well to not name the company.
When contacted, a highways official acknowledged that planting saplings is a good initiative. “However, they have not obtained prior permission from us. As per norms, an application must be submitted to the divisional engineer’s office,” the official said.