THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A 100-year-old banyan tree, well-etched in everyone’s memory, located before the Karakulam panchayat office, is fading into memory.
The tree has been cut down as part of the four-lane widening process of the Vazhayila-Pazhakuttty road in Nedumangad, leaving a crack in the sky. The entire process, which began around two months ago, has nearly reached completion, with only a portion of its trunk left to be removed.
“While some people claim that the tree is around 175 years old, we can be sure that it has at least lived for a century, and has become a part of the lives of the natives here,” said Karakulam panchayat president Ajith Kumar.
There was a basement structure also for the tree, he said, which made a perfect evening spot also for people. “But if the tree is not cut now, it would stand in the centre of the road once the entire widening is done, leaving authorities with no choice.”
“It was a place where people would meet each other. All political parties would conduct conventions here, making it part of Karakulam’s socio-political fabric as well,” said Lekha Rani U, former panchayat president.
The place where children would gather after school hours and host street plays as part of their NSS camps, used to even serve as a home for the ‘Onachanda’ of vegetables and other Onam essentials. “It is a bit saddening for all of us, but we can’t let nostalgia stagnate the land’s development.”
Highlighting the need for sustainable development, Assistant Conservator of Forests Saju S Nair said that the compensatory planting of trees is vital to ensure that greenery is retained.
“We have a government order asking authorities concerned to plant at least 10 trees as a replacement for every tree cut. But to what extent it gets implemented is something everyone should ponder upon.”
In unavoidable circumstances, he said authorities will give a nod to cut trees that fall within the alignment. While translocation is an alternative for smaller trees, cutting remains the only option for big ones.