MADURAI: While development activities are afoot in Madurai, the emphasis on retaining green cover seems to have taken a back seat in the city. Citing the recent felling of a 60-year-old massive tree in the district by the state highways department, environmentalists opined that the officials should have opted for translocation instead of cutting it down.
As pointed out in the National Forest Policy of India, at least 33% of a geographical area should be under forest or tree cover to maintain ecological stability. As per reports, the green cover in Madurai district continues to remain under 20%, despite the afforestation efforts taken by forest and other state departments.
"Though frequent tree plantation drives are organised by officials, several decades-old trees continue to be felled in the name of urbanisation and development works in the city. Recently, trees aged over 50 years and more were cut down in Tallakulam as part of road-laying works. On Tuesday, some saplings, which were planted along the Othakadai road by school children, were damaged in underground wire laying works," alleged environmentalists.
Pointing out the irony in the issue, environmentalists also expressed concern over the dropping of green cover's detrimental effects on climate change. "While it is important to focus on development, one cannot abandon preserving greenery. The 60-year-old trees in Tallakulam were easily cut down, saying that numerous saplings will be planted in its place. However, the saplings can never equal the amount of oxygen released by the old trees," noted Bharathi, an environmentalist from Madurai.
He further said that though frequent tree plantation drives are being taken up by many, only a few spent time to nurture the saplings and ensure their growth. "Authorities should opt for felling only as their last resort, and instead plan in line with environmental preservation," Bharathi added.
Speaking to TNIE, Ashok Kumar, another environmentalist from Madurai said, "A five-decade-old tree was cut down by some department, leaving just the stump behind. Instead of cutting down these trees entirely, the department concerned could have opted for tree translocation." He also urged authorities to opt for translocation in the future.