District administration refuses permission to cut trees in Pollachi for road project
The Highways Department had identi ed 27 tamarind trees at Thathur junction for a road-widening project; a few days before the election dates were announced, District Collector Kranthi Kumar Pati had asked the department to look at alternative solutions
Tamarind trees that are more than 50years-old form a green canopy along the 16km stretch from Ambarampalayam to Sethumadai in Pollachi in Coimbatore district.
The district administration on Sunday claried that it has refused permission to cut 27 of these trees at Thathur junction for a road improvement project.
According to ocial sources, the Highways Department has taken up works to widen at ₹2.2 crore the two-lane road for 200 metres on either side of Thathur junction as it is identied as an accidentprone zone. The works
The tree-lined Ambarampalayam - Sethumadai road.
were scheduled for completion in June and 27 tamarind trees at the junction were identied for removal to enable widening and improvement of the junction.
However, a few days before the election dates were announced, District Collector Kranthi Kumar
Pati had asked the department to look at alternative solutions and said that the trees cannot be cut. Fearing removal of the trees, nearly 20 members of a local federation gathered at Mukkonam, Anaimalai, to stage a protest on April 20 against removal of the trees.
“These trees are crucial for the ecosystem, considering the nearby forests and wildlife. They also remain green throughout the year, o ering relief during the scorching summer as they form a canopy of sorts on the stretch between Thathur and Sundarapuri,” said Paramasivam, a spokesperson for the group. T.K. Dhanasekar, who is native of Thathur, told The Hindu on Sunday that his uncle Thathur A. Chinnasamy Gounder who was chairman of Anamalai panchayat union, planted the trees and also maintained them.
“Further, ve panchayats get revenue from the tamarind from these trees now. The trees were planted almost 10 feet away from the edge of the
aroad,” he added.
Karthikeya Sivasenapathy, secretary of DMK’s environment wing, said in a press release on Sunday, “The trees adorning the Annamalai Top Slip Road will remain untouched. This historic roadway is not merely a thoroughfare; it is a living testament to Tamil Nadu’s environmental heritage... The Annamalai Top Slip Road stands as a symbol of our environmental legacy, and we are duty-bound to protect it.”
Pravin Shanmughanandam of the Pollachi Papyrus, in a petition to the Coimbatore district administration and the State government, said that to conserve the scenic and signicant tree-lined roads in and around Pollachi and to safeguard the green ambience created as a result of more than 80 years of care, four roads (Pollachi Aliyar Road, Ambarampalayam - Anaimalai Road, Vettaikaranpudur - Sethumadai Road, Anaimalai Sungam Road ) should be identied and marked as Heritage roads. A green bu er of 10 metres on both sides of the Heritage Road can be enforced to prohibit littering and removal of trees or plants for road expansion or other development works.
Pollachi Sub-Collector Catherine Saranya said in a press release on Sunday that cutting the trees would impact the scenic environment of the area.
Highway Department ocials said they will look at an alternative plan within a week.