Advocate Commissioner finds absence of trees on NH

An Advocate Commissioner on Tuesday informed the Madras High Court Bench here that National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had failed to implement in letter and spirit a direction issued by the court on February 6, 2014 to plant 10 saplings for every tree felled by it to widen the highways and convert them from two to four lanes.

In a report filed before a Division Bench of Justices R. Sudhakar and V.M. Velumani, Advocate Commissioner R. Alagumani stated that he could not see much of plantation having taken place despite touring from Madurai to Karur, Karur to Tiruchi, Madurai to Tuticorin, Tuticorin to Tirunelveli and Madurai to Tiruchi between September 28 and October 3.

The judges had directed commissioner to inspect the highways and file a report following a contempt of court application filed by Virudhunagar-based lawyer S.M. Anantha Murugan accusing Union Transport Secretary Vijay Chhibber and NHAI Chairman R.P. Singh of having disobeyed the direction issued by the court on a public interest litigation petition filed by the contempt applicant.

According to Mr. Alagumani, he could not see any plantation, but for a few trees on the road margins without any maintenance, from Samayanallur near here to Velanchettiyur toll plaza during his trip from Madurai to Karur. The only saving grace was the presence of some one-year-old trees, at an interval of 100 to 200 metres, from Valanchetiyur toll plaza to Karur, he added.

Similarly, “we could not see any new tree plantation on both sides of the highway from Karur to Tiruchi,” he said, and pointed out that the situation was no different on Madurai-Tuticorin highway where he could spot new trees only at a stretch of four kilometres between Kallikudi and Kariyapatti junction.

He also said that none of the toll plazas had drinking water, toilet and medical aid facilities.