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KOLKATA: Residents living in Southern Avenue on Friday erupted in protest against the hacking of branches of trees planted along the boulevard, which happens to be the widest and greenest in the city. Locals claimed branches wider that 3 inches were chopped unscientically and without permission from the forest department.
According to the protesters, the destruction of greenery was systematic. “In the name of beautifying the boulevard, trees are slaughtered, concrete chairs are being built and fountains are being installed. I am not against beatification of the city. I want my city to look beautiful but not at the cost of environment,” said Subhasis Mazumdar, a local resident who was the first to notice the hacking of branches of five full-grown trees.

The boulevard in Southern Avenue, which runs beside the lung of south Kolkata — Rabindra Sarobar — is an extension of the greenery on the Lake compound. “Because of the thick green barriers, the PM10 and PM2.5 count on Southern Avenue is the least despite massive jump in vehicular count on the road,” said Somendra Mohan Ghosh, an environment activist and a local resident.
“It is not in my knowledge that trees are hacked at Southern Avenue. I will definitely look into it. If I find that trees were cut without complying to rules, I will take necessary action. But for the record, I can say that if some branches were hacked in the past, many saplings were planted,” said mayor-in-council (parks and gardens) member Debasis Kumar. However, locals claimed that big trees have been replaced by shrubs, which cannot compensate the loss in terms of oxygen generation.
“Southern Avenue, thanks to its position, is a lucrative proposition for advertisers and there have been attempts to turn the boulevard into manicured parks with private sponsorship. For improving the visibility of these parks, trees are being sacrificed. A tree takes at least 20 years to mature. A few saplings will take a decade or two to reach that stage,” explained Abhinandan Agarwal, a green crusader.
Significantly, the boulevard just opposite Lake Kalibari and Birla Academy has already been turned into a park with a fountain. But since it is in the middle of the road, it is always very difficult for elderly people and children to use the place.
The boulevard along Southern Avenue is being encroached upon over the years, first for a swimming pool near Lake Place Road, then for a political party office near Sarat Bose Road and now the greenest part of boulevard is under threat. “Since KMC is the custodian of the road and the boulevard, it must take efforts to save the greens, not destroying them. There were big trees in front of Birla Academy, now not a single tree is standing,” said Gautam Mukherjee , a Lake Temple Road resident.

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