COIMBATORE: The state highways department, which recently launched phase 1 of the western ring road project, is awaiting the nod of the forest department to remove over 90 trees between Mylkal and Narashimanaickenpalayam.
The project starts from Mylkal on Salem-Cochin Road and ends at Narashimanaickenpalayam on Nagapattinam-Gudalur-Mysoru Road. The road, which will pass through 15 revenue villages in Coimbatore, will be 32.43 km long with four lanes. In phase 1, 11.80 km of road will be laid covering Madukkarai, Sundakkamuthur, Purur, Chettipalayam, Theethipalayam and Madampatti.
“Around 90 trees including babul and neem trees will have to be uprooted to make way for the western ring road. As the trees are located on the forest department’s land, we have requested their permission to take them down. Currently, we have started the levelling and formation works near Madukkarai,” a highways official told TNIE.
The forest department is expected to give its nod after talks, sources said. K Syed, member of the district green committee, told TNIE that trees cannot be uprooted without obtaining consent from the committee which is headed by the district collector.
“Not all of them are babul trees. There are various other varieties of trees on the stretch. We will not allow the uprooting of all 90 trees. We shall identify which trees can be uprooted and replanted again in a different location. So far, we transplanted around 16 trees and nine of them have started sprouting once again,” he said.