Victims of ‘prime’ neglect
| Date :28-Apr-2019 |
Staff Reporter:
It’s another morning. A group of trees zooms with fresh blowing breeze. Soon, it realises that not much has changed. With their bases stuck in cement slabs marking boundary of foootpath and road-shoulder shrunk due to tar road’s invasion on footpath, these trees shake their branches for a while. Soon, the leaves stop moving, as if the trees have resigned to the unfortunate fate that one of their own met -- of being reduced to only a stump. Yes. There is a stump of what was once a tree standing tall. The black colour and hardness of the stump indicates lifelessness. The inanimate wood glistens in Sunrays that fall on it, as if trying to tell a story of how it fought its battles through thick and thin, and how it earned the scars of neglect. And, every morning, it makes the other trees shiver about their fate.
For, over the years, tar road in the ‘prime’ part of Civil Lines area has been laid and re-laid, but the trees have not been de-choked. This ‘prime’ part of Civil Lines is the road stretch along which are haloed structures ranging from Police Gymkhana to Forest Department’s big establishment to bungalows of judges etc. At one end of this road is Ramgiri, the official bungalow of the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Most of the high and mighty occupying these establishments and bungalows go for morning or evening walks on the same road. There are many elite in the city of Nagpur who go to this particular stretch for morning or evening walks. Sadly, not many seem to have noticed the plight of the choked trees, which are still giving them the fresh air that they so desperately seek in the area.
But, is it the tale restricted to this road stretch only? Not at all. ‘The Hitavada’ found choked trees even along the other roads. The tree bases are cemented in footpath along the compound wall of MLA Hostel, where legislators from across the State come to attend the winter session of State Legislature. Near the office of Commissioner of Police, though space has been created at the base of a big tree, no one has bothered to put some extra earth to cover the exposed roots of it. In fact, just along the compound wall of the High Court premises, one can see stump of a big old tree telling the tale of neglect. Similarly, trees in the area near the official residence of Municipal Commissioner are crying for attention in different ways. In some cases, though the space has been left at the tree base for percolation of water, the road-construction guys probably thought it better to dump the lighter waste in that space.
The trees outside the compound wall of new building of Zilla Parishad and Divisional Commissionerate enjoyed their freedom till the road was dug up for some work. When the road was repaired, concrete was poured at the base of the trees. These choked trees are waiting for some action good for their health. If one goes on, one can find several cases across the city. If the problem exists in different parts of the city, it needs a larger focus of the administration and a ‘concrete’ (not concreting) policy that can save green cover of the city. Whosoever is responsible for such silent killing of trees has not spared the green cover in residential, market, or even the ‘prime’ areas.
It is time for the high and mighty, the sane and sensitive people to join hands and stop such silent killing of the trees, and help protect the city’s proud green identity. It is time for people to start de-choking the trees in the areas they live, work, and move. It is time for a positive response to the present ill, to ensure a better future. Isn’t it? (Pics by Satish Raut/ Anil Futane)