Tags:
Journalism of Courage
VADODARA, Sept 6: Altogether 25 full-grown trees were axed by the Vadodara Municipal Corporation VMC in the western part of the city as part of the road-widening project on Monday.
According to highly placed civic sources, the trees were between 25 to 50 years old.
The cutting, which began early in the morning and continued till late in the evening, saw a wide variety of trees being brought down on the road between Wadi Wadi Fire Station and the GEB Circle on R C Dutt Road.
Deputy Municipal Commissioner Administration H S Patel and Director of Parks and Garden Vitthal Chikaliya said the trees were cut to widen the road to 132 feet. Earlier, the road was around 90 feet wide.
It may be recalled that on April 16, Express Newsline published an article highlighting that nearly 500 trees would be hacked down as part of the VMC8217;s major road-widening project.
Patel said that the VMC had managed to save 15-odd trees which were near the footpath. Chikaliya stated that to make up for the loss, the VMC has set a target of planting 18,000 saplings on the roadsides in the current financial year. According to him, so far 2,500 saplings have been already planted.
The VMC also brought down State Transport Division Office8217;s 1,100 square feet compound wall for the project. This State Government department has already been given an alternative site at Transportnagar in the northern part of the city.
In another operation, the 400 square feet compound wall of the Pramukhswami Hospital in Atladra was brought down. The wall was falling in the roadline. Compound walls falling in the roadlines were also razed in Karelibaug.
Top VMC officers, including Chief Fire Officer M K Desai, Deputy Fire Officer D A Patel and Executive Engineer Technical S A Naik supervised the operations.
For tree-cutting, the Fire Brigade8217;s emergency van was used.
President of the World Wide Fund For Nature Ranjitsinh Gaekwad said that although there is no alternative to widening the roads to cope with the increasing traffic, the VMC should plant more trees on the roadsides and wherever else there is space at the earliest.
General Secretary of International Society of Naturalists Dr G M Oza said that development should not spell destruction. It appears that the VMC is on its way to decimate Vadodara8217;s heritage. He said that it was ironical that on one hand the VMC requests non-government organisations to plant saplings, and on the other it chops trees. Dr Oza said that such action should be avoided in any case.
