A 150-year-old peepal tree ( Ficus religiosa ) was damaged on Friday after it was hit by a speeding container lorry, much to the disappointment of the local residents who often assemble near the tree for religious rituals.
It is learnt that the driver could not notice the goods loaded in the lorry getting entangled with the branches of the big tree. Succumbing to the pull of the vehicle, the tree got partially uprooted. A transformer near the tree was also damaged in the process, apart from the car parked near it. The driver was taken into custody and the vehicle seized by the One Town police, Circle Inspector Y.Rama Rao said.
As the news spread, a steady stream of the tree worshipers assembled in-front of the 150-year-old tree. “Devotees often worship near the tree on auspicious occasions such as marriage and birth of babies in their families, said M. Venkat Ramanaiah, head of the five-member committee, which takes care of the tree.
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The accident disappointed the local environmentalists too. Dendolatry has long been an integral part of Indian culture and it is precisely why big trees still dot the city landscape,” noted Volunteer Environment Organisation chairman G.Veerabhadrachari said, adding that loss of a big tree could never be compensated, even if 100 tree saplings were planted.