The Hindu : Front Page : Trees in Maraimalai Nagar face the axe

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Sunday, Jul 15, 2007
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Trees in Maraimalai Nagar face the axe

K. Manikandan

— Photo: K. Manikandan

AXE EFFECT: The trees that were trimmed or chopped down over the past few days in Maraimalai Nagar.

Tambaram: Dozens of trees at Maraimalai Nagar, a satellite township about 18 km from here, have been chopped down over the past few days.

Residents and environmental activists charged that some supporters of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) brought down the trees to ensure that the venue of the party’s conference was prominently visible from the highway.

‘Pungan’ variety

Senior residents said most of the destroyed trees were of the ‘pungan’ variety.

They were located between the carriageway of Grand Southern Trunk Road and a service road running parallel to it.

Only some huge tamarind trees close to GST Road were spared.

Residents of the township said all the trees that were axed were huge shade-giving ones planted in the early 1980s.

PMK denial

PMK functionaries, when contacted, denied that they were responsible for cutting down the trees. Either the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) or the State Highways Department could have trimmed or uprooted the trees for widening service roads, they claimed.

Some officials of the Department of Municipal Administration and Water Supply, on condition of anonymity, said the trees were chopped down by PMK partymen. But they were not in a position to complain or even prevent it.

Officials of the NHAI and the Revenue Department said they were not aware of the incident and added that they would conduct a probe.

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