TIRUCHY: The management of Sri Aranganayaki Elementary School (aided), run by the Srirangam Educational Society (SES), felled five fully grown trees on its campus on May 30 without obtaining permission or informing either the School Education Department or the Forest Department.
The move has drawn criticism from environmentalists, parents, and civic groups, especially as it came just days before World Environment Day ( June 5), when the School Education Department had urged schools across Tamil Nadu to plant saplings. Ironically, department officials were unaware of the tree felling until approached by the media.
Chief Educational Officer K Krishnapriya responded, “For aided schools, the school secretary or correspondent is responsible. We provide aid and ensure quality education.” Her remarks have raised questions about the department’s monitoring and accountability mechanisms, as local officials had failed to notice the removal of the trees.
Defending the decision, headmistress S. Shanthi said the trees posed safety risks: “Some trees were large and leaning towards the compound wall of a nearby apartment. We feared they might fall during strong winds. With the management’s approval, we removed them. As part of World Environment Day, students planted new saplings in the same area.”
A member of the school management added that the decision was not premeditated: “It wasn’t intentional. The trees hadn’t been properly maintained. It was a lapse on our part. We’ve now planted saplings and plan to take better care of them.”
However, environmentalists argue that the damage is already done and worry about the message being sent to children. “You cannot preach conservation while axing trees in your own backyard,” said S.N. Mohan Ram of the Srirangam People’s Welfare Association.