Peepal saved from axe gets new lease of life

Coimbatore: Tree lovers and environmental enthusiasts have given a fresh lease of life to a 35-year-old peepal tree, which had to be removed from Trichy Road for flyover construction.
Environmental organisation Osai uprooted the tree from Ramanathapuram on Trichy Road and transplanted it at an upcoming private residential complex in Kuniyamuthur. “Authorities used to chop trees for road expansion work or flyover work. After our intervention, officials now call us to see whether such trees can be saved,” K Syed, who is working for the NGO and also the project officer of the department of environmental sciences, Bharathiar University, said.
For the transplantation process, they trimmed the branches, uprooted it, scooped up 1.5 feet of soil around the roots, applied cow dung to the cut portions, tied it with gunny sack and transported it to the destination. “We dug a 10cubic feet pit to plant the tree, mixed the mother soil with neem oil-cake, coconut fibre and vermicompost before planting it,” said Syed.
Osai has transplanted more than 100 trees with 60% success rate. “We can transplant only the trees that have milky sap, such as those of the genus ficus — banyan, peepal and fig. We hope to save more trees and want people come forward to do it,” Syed added.