Axe to fall on many banyan trees

VISAKHAPATNAM: Banyan trees are fast becoming extinct in Visakhapatnam district due to rapid urbanisation and lack of proper environmental awareness among people.Many banyan trees are set to be axed between Anakapalle and Anandapuram during fourlaning of State Highway No 38. The state highway is also called NH5 bypass road.There are around 150 banyan trees on the 45 km stretch. A number of these trees are several decades old. The girth of some banyan trees is more than 20 feet.Generally, banyan saplings are not planted during afforestation drives because their growth is slow compared to other plant species.With the falling of the trees as part of fourlaning of the highway, Rebaka, Agraharam, Marripalem, Jangalapalem, Dongalamarri, Asakapalli, Sabbavaram, Gandigundam, Sontyam, Tharluwada, Anandapuram and other villages adjacent to it will face air pollution as the vehicular movement on the bypass road is quite high. Expressing serious concern over the move to axe the banyan trees to facilitate fourlaning of the state highway, Mummana Ramu of Asakapalli said the travel on the route would be no more joyful henceforth.Justifying the fourlaning of the highway to meet the ever increasing vehicular traffic between Chennai and Kolkata, Palli Govinda of Jangalapalem said it was not advisable to cut down the centuryold trees. Instead, the government should acquire adjacent land from farmers to protect the trees. Forum for Sustainable Development convener S Bhujanga Rao said the government should take up a plantation drive after fourlaning of the highway to fill the void caused by the removal of banyan trees.