As 50-year-old trees face axe, engineer in Madras HC against govt – Times of India

CHENNAI: An engineer has moved the Madras high court to restrain the Tamil Nadu highways department from felling eleven 50-year-old native species trees for extension of SH58.
Admitting the plea, a division bench of Justice T S Sivagnanam and Justice Sathi Kumar Sukumara Kurup directed the highways department to file its counter.
“In Tamil Nadu, whenever trees are proposed to be felled for infrastructure projects, the standard response of the statutory authorities is that 10 saplings will be planted for every tree felled, in compliance with a GO dated August 3, 2010,” petitioner M Bharathiraja said.
These trees would live at least for 100 years and the ecological benefits they provide could not be compensated even if 10 or more new saplings are planted for each felled tree by the department, he said.
According to the petitioner, the department is implementing a project for the upgradation of the existing road (SH 58) from Sadras – Chengalpet – Kancheepuram Arakkonam – Thiruthani Road.
As the department has proposed to fell 11 Bombax ceiba (cotton tree) standing on both sides of the road without considering alternatives, the petitioner has moved the high court. No effort is made to either avoid the felling of these trees or in the case of species that are suited for transplantation, to transplant the trees, he added.
Moreover, the value of trees proposed to be axed is also projected in terms of their timber value and not in terms of the value of ecosystem services rendered, he said.
“The trees in question are about 30-metre-tall majestic fully grown with luxuriant foliage. These trees are about 50 years old. These trees live for more than a hundred years. Felling these trees will result in loss of ecosystem services including habitat of fauna,” he said.
Pointing out that even the NHAI, in its guidelines dated May 10, 2018, has directed that its project implementation agencies acquire land on one side of the road in order to inter alia reduce the number of trees impacted, the petitioner said the state highway has earmarked areas on both sides of the road for its proposed expansion.