Two of the largest trees in Gudalur town are at risk of being cut down, if permissions are granted for the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) to axe them for expansion of the Gudalur bus stand.
Plans to expand the bus stand were approved last year, with the modernisation set to increase its capacity. Part of the plans involved expanding the bus stand by more than 50 % of its existing area.
To continue with the expansion plans, the TNSTC had applied to the Revenue Department to cut down two Albizia lebbeck trees. Both trees are said to be over 40-feet in height, with girths of 10 and 20 feet each. The two trees are among the tallest located within the town limits.
R. Mary Justin, who runs a grocery in Gudalur, said the trees provided much needed shade for waiting passengers during summer and monsoon. “The tree has been an ever-present part of the town for as long as I can remember, and it would be a shame if it is cut down,” she said.
A few florists and tea shop owners also use the shade of the tree to set up their stalls. “While the expansion of the bus stand is important for development, we hope that the TNSTC thinks of alternatives to chopping down the two trees, which residents claim are more than a hundred years old,” said S. Sivasubramaniam, general secretary of the Gudalur Center for Consumer Protection.
When contacted, a senior revenue official said permission had not been granted to cut down the trees. “The request has been sent to the district committee overseeing permissions for tree felling,” said the official.