Driving in the district on highway stretches that had trees on either side are turning into memories for the city’s residents. In 2012, 860 trees were cut on about six km of Mettupalayam road for road widening. About 4,300 trees were cut for the Chengapalli-Neelambur road. Now, for widening of the Coimbatore-Pollachi road, over 1,300 trees will be cut between Pollachi and Eachanari.
However, what is reassuring for those who want the district’s green cover to expand are the initiatives of the public, voluntary organisations, and the officials in transplanting the existing trees, planting saplings again on the roadside, and trying to reduce the number of trees that are to be cut for a project.
The Coimbatore District road users’ association took the lead and started planting saplings on either side of Mettupalayam Road in 2013. It has so far planted 900 saplings in two phases. About 10 varieties of trees were chosen and the saplings had already grown to six feet height when they were planted. Of these, nearly 800 have survived, says M. Devendran, secretary of the association. Two companies located on Mettupalayam Road - Aquasub and Sulochana Cotton Spinning Mills - came forward to support the project and the Highways department not only gave permission for planting saplings again on the road but also helped in finalising the location for each tree, he adds.
On the Pollachi-Coimbatore stretch, as many as 51 trees have been identified for transplanting and a few of these have been transplanted. It is mostly the institutions and industries that have come forward by providing space on their campus for the trees that would be transplanted, says Pravin Shanmughanandam of Pollachi Papyrus. Committees have been formed and the entire process of transplanting will be documented, he says. Not only that voluntary organisations and businesses have come forward to replant nearly 20,000 saplings, though these will be in different places where land is available.
An official points out that it is possible to re-create green paths and roads with green cover even in projects where trees are cut. However, the main challenge is availability of land on either side of the widened or newly developed roads for trees. On Pollachi-Eachanari stretch, planting of saplings will start even before completion of the project. Small shrubs will be planted on the median.
According to Vanitha Mohan, Managing Trustee of Siruthuli, on the Salem-Krishnagiri stretch, saplings planted after the road widening have grown into trees now. Trees on either side of a highways road makes a lot of difference to the road users. Even in foreign countries, road development works are taken up regularly. But, what is needed is planning. There should be plans for restoring the green cover after the project. With proper planning, the required space can be created to replant saplings on the newly developed stretches, she says.
