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Udupi: 800-Year-Old Tree Demolished for Development, Shops Damaged

  •   Sun, Sep 25 2011 08:27:07 AM

Udupi: 800-Year-Old Tree Demolished for Development, Shops Damaged
 
Inchara Digitals
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (PS/CN)
 
Udupi, Sep 25: An ‘Ashwatha’ (peepal) tree that had existed for 800 years was uprooted in Uchila (on NH 66) here on Saturday September 24. The tree was demolished as part of the four-lane work on the national highway.
 
Unfortunately, four shops were damaged after the tree fell on them. Men started to prune the tree at 8.30 am and the process went on till night.

During the day, traffic snarls were witnessed every half hour and five JCBs and cranes were used.
 
Around a hundred people gathered at the spot out of curiosity. Shops belonging to Shivanna Bangera, Shreepathi Bhat, Rajesh Mulur, and Abdul Salam were damaged and the loss has been estimated at around Rs 4 to Rs 5 lac.
 
Earlier, there was severe opposition to the plan to demolish this tree, but in vain. The platform erected under the tree used to be the old ‘Panchayat Katte’ where issues and problems of the village were sorted out.
 
With this demolition, there are no more such large trees in the vicinity now.
  

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Comment on this article

  • Dave, Mangalore

    Mon, Sep 26 2011

    There is a Big hue & cry when a or a few trees are cut to facilitate smooth trafic flow.
    But when Hectares of Trees are cut to create new Plantations, to erect Hydro projects & mining that just destroys the whole environment like in Bellary-there are more people supporting the corrupt practices than opposing DENUDATION of FOREST COVER. Otherwise they would not have justified it by citing others corruptions.
    I ask them- do they really have a Concience at all?

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  • Navin, Brahmavar/Bahrain

    Mon, Sep 26 2011

    Nice to see agree/disagree button in comments field. At last reader/commentators can somehow show agree/disagree for the comments made by others.

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  • ravikiran, mangalore/chembur/mumbai

    Mon, Sep 26 2011

    Its bad omen for uchila... this tree stands like bus stand there and giving shade for thousands of people, waiting for the buses, for soo many years... and also considered as a sacred tree in Hinduism, Jainism & Buddism.

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  • Maya.Shenoy, Mangalore/Italy

    Mon, Sep 26 2011

    Well said.In Italy where I stay,to widen the road,they uprooted the tree,(300 year old)carefully and planted it in a safe place...the tree took root,still lives after 2 years.Places like Dubai where there were no plants , really know the value of plants.It is easy to say cut one tree and plant ten.Why can't we say the same to humans.Kill one,we can produce ten.After all people fail to understand that plants too have life and old plants are treasure which we need to preserve.

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  • Sunil Dsouza, Mangalore

    Mon, Sep 26 2011

    I have seen such trees in other part of the country being left in the center of the road. Ultimately these trees end up taking life of motorist. I guess you all have some value for human life....you can plant 10 trees but you may not get back the human being lost in a high speed highway road accident. Of course there will be over a dozen people who will comment on my view but what if one of our loved ones lost his life owing to this tree in the middle of a highway do we compromise then !!!?

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  • Prathibha, Uchila, Udupi

    Mon, Sep 26 2011

    Well said Mr. Althaf

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  • Ajay, UK

    Sun, Sep 25 2011

    The damage to the shops caused at the time of cutting the trees just shows the carelessness of the contractor and utter disregard for health and safety regulations if at all there is one.

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  • Arif, Uchila

    Sun, Sep 25 2011

    Mr. Ashok. But the spelling of Numbers is still the same

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  • Arif, uchila/dubai

    Sun, Sep 25 2011

    For the sake of NH. they have cut down more than 75000 tree from manglore to udupi.just for the sake of 1 tree its just nonsense

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  • Royston, Kinnigoli/ Boston

    Sun, Sep 25 2011

    the problem is not only the tree. It is that developers need to respect the beauty of our state and replant for any uprooting of trees they have done. Once the road is complete people will start building next to the road and there will be no place for greenery, the state needs to come up with a plan to maintain good roads without sacrificing the beauty of our forests. Like in the U.S the police or forest officials should accompany the road workers to see if they are safe and doing the right thing

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  • kvkamath, mangalore

    Sun, Sep 25 2011

    yeah. Money will be drawn from Govt coffers to plant ten trees for one cut off tree Mr.Althaf,but where are those ten trees? Laws should be enacted, say, any tree above 100 years of age can be removed only after getting clearance from courts & MOEF(Central and State)

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  • Allwyn, dubai

    Sun, Sep 25 2011

    Mr. Pais although whole country is artificially built you can see everywhere greenary in dubai.cutting tree is crime instead find alternative way for constructing high way.

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  • Stephen, Mangalore

    Sun, Sep 25 2011

    Very well said Mr Pais.This is lateral thinking

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  • Althaf, Mangalore/Sana'a

    Sun, Sep 25 2011

    We want development & also greenery, let them plant 10 trees for cutting one

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  • Harold D'cunha, Mangalroe, India

    Sun, Sep 25 2011

    It is really unfortunate that in the name of development and widening the road, the natural environmental friendly tree has been chopped and also due to the negligence, carelessness, inexperienced contractor's and their personnel, 4 shops have been damaged worth 4 to 5 lacks.

    One side the locals have lost the tree and wonder, is there is a will by the developer or by the bureaucrats to plant any trees on the side of the road. Secondly due to the negligence by the developer/contractor there is a loss of 4 to 5 laks to the shops belonging to 4 families and their income has been snatched. What will happen to the log of this tree? Is it going to be rot on the road side and it will be cleared from the road.

    Just outside the urwa, Mangalore police station, one tree width around 4 feet has been chopped and log is lying on the road side since a long time. One side we lost the tree, secondly delay in clearing it from the side of the road and third the inconvenience to the pedestrians and locals. Politicians / bureaucrats/ contractors they only give false promise and at the end, only one thing matters - how to fill their pocket.

    Unless people collectively react and fight it, the citizens has to pay the price of keeping silence.

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  • Mohd faruk, Uchila..KSA

    Sun, Sep 25 2011

    good coverage from Daiji group..

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  • Ajay, UK

    Sun, Sep 25 2011

    The BRIC countries are growing at a fast rate while the rest of the world is facing an economic slow down. In India the infrastructure is unable to keep pace with its rate of growth. Development of transport and communication are essential and hence the road widening. It is sad that trees are being cut but then it is a fine balance . Thousands of people die on our roads and one of the reasons for this is bad ,narrow roads and rapid growth of vehicle population in India.Road widening should have been done about 30 years ago but sadly that did not happen.I think it is better late than never .
    I find a strange paradox. We complain when one tree or 100 trees are being cut and at the same time complain of narrow roads in India and wished we had broad dual carriageways and superhighways as in developed economies. You just cannot have both. But I would go for safer roads so as to prevent the terrible fatal accidents that happen on our roads.One can plant new trees but you cannot replace human life!

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  • Abdullah, Mangalore

    Sun, Sep 25 2011

    well said Mr Pais,

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  • Oscar Pais, Mangalore

    Sun, Sep 25 2011

    It is so funny to see people sitting in Dubai condemning cutting of a tree! A whole country which is artificially built giving lecture to Indians on how to build roads. Same NRIs cry and dance when they visit India saying how roads are bad, narrow and messy

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  • Omkara Nayak, Bailur/Dubai

    Sat, Sep 24 2011

    Alas, very sad news. This historical tree should have been preserved by constructing under pass. Unfortunately, no one cares for Mother Nature.

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  • Jeevan, Mangalore

    Sat, Sep 24 2011

    Mr. Amar, uchila, the news is right, you are wrong. Just take a break and come back to home place, you will find many highways have changed their numbers.

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  • Prashanth, Mangalore/Dubai

    Sat, Sep 24 2011

    Mr. Amar... how can u judge the age of the tree sitting in KSA? and secondly... its NH66 after renumbering... If you do not know then dont comment...

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  • ashok, abu dhabi/udupi

    Sat, Sep 24 2011

    Mr. Amar, for your information all noumbers of national highways have been changed. Old NH 17 is changed to NH 66.

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  • amar, uchila/ksa

    Sat, Sep 24 2011

    Wrong news. First of all its not NH66 should be NH-17. This tree is not 800 years old. Somewhere around 90-100 years old.

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