Thiruvananthapuram: A sacred fig tree on the premises of Devi temple, Puliyoor, near
Karamana is gifting sleepless nights to people living nearby.
The tree, which is around 40 years old, is leaning to one side as the roots are losing their grip on the soil beneath. A good rain or a gusty wind may uproot the tree any time, fear residents.
Sreejith B Kurup, a daily-wage labourer whose house is the closest to the tree filed a formal complaint to the Aranoor ward councillor Unnikrishnan on January 7, 2017. The councillor forwarded the case to the council. After approximately one and a half years, the council finally took the case into consideration and decided to cut down the tree.
Sreejith’s uncle Sasidharan Nair said, “The temple committee has no objection on cutting the tree but they told us that they have no money to do the same. Sreejith and five families living around the temple premises prepared a complaint and forwarded it to the councillor. We have been living here for about 35 years. It was all fine until the roots of the tree became visible around 10 years ago. The roof of out house made of clay tiles gets damaged every now and then, thanks to the falling branches. We then changed to roof sheet”.
The kids in the neighbourhood play near the tree and beneath it which is again a concern for the residents. “Also, the tree is home to lot of bugs that fly into food when we turn on the lights. Children are often troubled by bug bites. Even the six-month-old baby living next door has marks of bug bites on its body,” said Nair.
Despite corporation approving the decision to cut the tree, no step has been initiated to implement the decision. The corporation has allotted Rs 30,000 to cut down the tree. The authorities ensured Sreejith’s family that once the 15 days required for accepting the tender is met, the process of cutting the tree will be initiated. More than15 days have passed and still no action has been taken.
Councillor Unnikrishnan said, “we have studied the complaint and the council granted the required sum to cut down the tree. The corporation only needs to find a suitable tender to initiate the proceedings”.
