BENGALURU: Visitors to the Big Banyan Tree have been greeted by an unusual sight for the last week — cemented paths interspersed among the green foliage of the mammoth tree. The Horticulture Department’s move to lay cemented walking paths around the periphery of the tree has sparked criticism and outrage from environmentalists, even as the department claims the move is for the betterment of the tree.
The tree, well-known to Bengalureans and believed to be over 400 years old, is spread over three acres. The Rs 1 crore project, approved by the Tourism Department, involves the construction of walking paths and sitting benches, renovation of restrooms and construction of an arch at the entrance.
Environmentalist Yellappa Reddy expressed shock and outrage when informed of the development. “Are they out of their minds? It is utter foolishness on their part to do this,” he exclaimed. Describing the tree, Reddy said its interesting feature was the fact that it had kept spreading laterally, which was made possible by the prop roots or aerial roots getting embedded into the ground to provide it extra support.
“If the prop roots don’t enter the ground due to the path, the growth of branches will get retarded. The aim should be to allow the tree to grow as wide as possible. On the contrary, we are actually making the ‘big banyan tree’ small.
Durgesh Agrahari from Saytrees Foundation echoed similar sentiments. He said the tree was a pristine place and nothing less than a monument. “Once the path is laid, it will hinder the growth of roots. It will also affect the water percolation in the area, increase the local temperature and hinder birds as they get distracted by stones. I also don’t see the need for a concrete walking path,” he said.
Joint Director of Horticulture, M Jagdish, said the paths would actually help the tree’s growth. He said they would help tourists navigate to various parts of the tree and are not wide enough to hinder water percolation.“The paths lie across the gradient, so they will actually trap the flowing water and help it infiltrate. Also, these paths lie above the ground, unlike the earlier paths, which had sunk in and obstructed the growth of roots,” he said. He added that if the tree’s aerial roots fell on the paths, they could be shifted slightly so as to enter the ground from a different spot.