Punjab farmer’s efforts to save 250-year-old heritage tree: ‘How long can an old man fight the govt; I can only request them to spare it’

His 2.5 acres of land has already been acquired by the NHAI for the project. However, he says that he has clearly told the NHAI officials and the contractors that he won’t allow them to axe the tree, which stands on another piece of land which is set to be acquired for the project.

“The tree is the pride of our village. It gives shelter to everyone including laborers, birds, and animals during the summers. It provides oxygen to patients suffering from respiratory illnesses. I will fight for it as long as I can but then, how long can an old man fight against the mighty government? I can only urge the NHAI and the governments to save this tree. They can tweak their road project a bit and let the tree stay. It’s very much possible if they want to,” says Singh.

“Even if they plant 4,000 new saplings, the tree with such a huge trunk and its green leaves cannot be grown again. I want our future generations to remember that we left some green heritage for them,” he says.

The heritage tree might be axed for NHAI’s Bharatmala project. (Express Photo)

‘At least 250-year-old’

“Ours was a Muslim majority village before Partition in 1947. Our ancestors, who had shifted here from Pakistan, had told us that the tree was this huge even in their times. It is at least 250 years old or even more,” Singh adds.

Balbir Singh, however, admits that there is a dispute over the chunk of land on which the tree stands between him and the Waqf board. “It has been decades that the land is in the possession of our family. We also run a dairy here. The case is sub-judice in the court. But it doesn’t matter who gets the land; the tree won’t be allowed to go. Our family has taken care of it for decades, like our child,” says Singh.

He adds that the NHAI had also credited an amount of Rs 45,000 to his and his brother’s bank accounts but he won’t accept any money to let the tree be axed. “I have asked them to take back their money. I will fight as much as I can to save the tree,” he says.

The heritage tree might be axed for NHAI’s Bharatmala project.

Support from across Punjab

The farmer further claims that earlier the NHAI had planned the road project in a way that tree wasn’t coming in between but later it was changed to save the rice sheller of an influential person who has political links. “The map was changed and then the tree came in between. The sheller belongs to the relative of a Congress leader,” says Singh, whose brother is a former sarpanch of the village.

Singh says that after he started posting videos of the heritage tree on social media and urged others to support him, he has been getting calls and messages from across Punjab. “But in the end, it will be only me who has to face the authorities. I can only urge them to let the tree stay,” he says.

The grand old banyan tree, located in the Seham village of the Nakodar sub-division of the Jalandhar district, stands as the pride of the village, says Balbir Singh. (Express Photo)

Meanwhile, Gurjant Singh, the present sarpanch of the village, says, “The tree is on the land which is currently under dispute. However, for many years, it has been in possession of Balbir Singh and his family. However, it’s not just him, everybody in the village wants the tree to remain untouched.”