COIMBATORE: In a bid to improve road infrastructure while preserving the environment, the state highways department officials, in collaboration with Green Care NGO, has started the tree transplantation drive on the Mettupalayam-Avinashi stretch. A total of 262 trees are set to be transplanted and around 1,400 trees will be razed down to make way for the road widening project works.
The state government has sanctioned Rs 238 crore under the Chief Minister's Rural Road Development Programme (CMRDP) to upgrade the 38-kilometre stretch between Avinashi and Mettupalayam into a four-lane highway. The project spans 13 km in Tiruppur district and 25 km in Coimbatore district, with land acquisition already initiated in three locations.
As road widening works are under way, environmental concerns have been brought to the fore. The officials in Tiruppur district have already felled as many as 470 trees on the Avinashi-Annur stretch. A survey conducted in Coimbatore district identified 1,604 trees that obstruct the expansion on the Mettupalayam-Annur stretch. Of these, 1,342 trees are set to be felled, while the remaining will require only branch trimming.
However, not all trees will be lost. Following an inspection by the district green committee, officials were advised that 262 of the trees could be salvaged through transplantation.
Taking this recommendation forward, the state highways department, in collaboration with the environmental NGO 'Green Care', launched a tree replantation drive at Kanjapalli on Monday. On the first day, around six trees were carefully uprooted and relocated.
Speaking to TNIE, Green Care founder Syed explained the meticulous process involved in tree transplantation. "A majority of the trees on the stretch are Tamarind trees which cannot be transplanted as its success rate is very low. So we have avoided them and are transplanting other tree varieties. The replantation effort includes native species such as Poovarasu, Mandharai, Neem, Pungan, Ayan, and Arasu."
Meanwhile, the Coimbatore district green committee has demanded that the 40-km Mettupalayam-Avinashi stretch be converted into a green corridor with adequate tree plantation on both sides.
S Sivaraja, a member of the district committee and Kowshika Neer Karangal Trust's secretary told TNIE, "We have asked the officials to ensure that 10 saplings are planted for each tree cut by the highways department. Also, we have urged the officials to cut the trees only after they plant all the saplings. Since the road was covered with lush green trees and played a vital role in the environment, we have demanded the district collector to take necessary steps to convert the 40-km stretch into a green corridor by planting trees on both sides, about 5-6 ft from the edge of the road. The collector has assured us to assess the matter and take necessary steps."
