The southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Coimbatore District Collector to refrain from cutting down two old trees on Mettupalayam Road.
A petition filed by Coimbatore resident Shahjahan said that two tamarind trees that had been around for around 100 years at the junction of the Flower Market on Mettupalayam Road were likely to be cut down for the construction of a new market.
A bench of Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Satyagopal Korlapati noted on May 23 that the petitioner had also furnished photographs of the trees, which were beyond the pedestrian platform and not obstructing the road or the pathway.
The tribunal has issued notices to the authorities, including the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forest Force). Further, the tribunal has directed the District Collector, Coimbatore, and the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation to file a report on the matter and ensure that the trees are not cut till further orders are passed. The case has been posted for next hearing on July 18.
Incidentally, the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court, in a hearing of a petition against cutting down trees in Kanniyakumari district, noted that it will not be a wise decision to cut down grown trees for the sake of constructing a building in this age of climate change.
