A 188-YEAR-OLD banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis) transplanted from Thakkar Gram, Pachpaoli, to Gorewada Biodiversity Park in November 2025 is showing rapid leaf and branch development 120 days after the operation despite temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius, according to court-appointed botanistDilipChinchmalatpure, Co-ordinator, Nagpur Beautification Committee, who oversaw the transplantation.The tree, 42 feet tall and 34 feet in girth, was moved nine kilometres across the city after a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in Bombay High Court stopped it from being felled to make way for a proposed three-storey elibrary.

 

Chinchmalatpure, who has been monitoring the tree since November, must submit a status report to the court every seven days and will continue doing so for seven years. Roots wrapped in gunny bags, nets, burlap BANYAN treeshave root systems that extend to nearly twice the tree’sheight, and theNagpur sun at 40 degrees Celsius can quickly destroy exposed roots. Three JCBs and hydraulic lifters were used to loosen and extract the tree from Pachpaoli’s narrow lanes.

 

Workers carved trenches around the tree and carefully shielded the roots before machinerymovedin.Once freed, the roots were wrapped tightly in gunny bags, nets and burlap with their original soil intact to forma securedrootball.Thetree was then lifted onto a trailer and transported toGorewada,where a prepared pit was ready. “Zero root damage was the primary rule,” Chinchmalatpure explained. The entire process from uprooting tore planting was completed within 24 hours. Transplantation results in 100 new branches, to be 10 AFTER replanting, root hormones were applied to help thetreeanchorinnewsoiland fungicides were used to seal pruningwounds. The soil mix was specially prepared using black soil, cow dung, neem cake as an antifungal agent and micronutrients suited for the banyan species.

 

The transplantation has resulted in approximately 100 newbranches. Chinchmalatpureplans to reduce these to 10through a process called disbranching, a selective pruningmethod that ensures structural strength and balanced growth. “Disbudding and disbranchingensure trees grow tall and balanced,” he told. The BombayHigh Court had mandated the transplantation with specific conditions. It was noted during proceedings that the ideal season for transplanting banyantrees is monsoon or winter, but the work was carried out within the court-mandated timeline. Chinchmalat pure was appointed as the court’s expert for theoperation.Its next review reportis due at the High Court thisweek.