200-yr-old banyan tree faces axe for rly station upgrade

Bhubaneswar: Many residents and experts have criticised the decision of railways to uproot an over 200-year-old outside Lingaraj railway station here for the facility's modernisation and expansion.
Sources said a major portion of the canopy has already been cropped for construction of the two-storey building under Amrit Bharat Station scheme. Ironically, the project board on the site says it is an "Eco-friendly green building structure".
"This is unfortunate that to construct a green building, the railway authorities are felling a tree that has been standing for over 200 years. The building could have been easily designed to accommodate the tree, with its canopy extending to the platform. However, they have chosen to cut off a major portion," said Anil Dhir, convener of the Bhubaneswar chapter of Intach (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage.
"I found a demarcation line touching the base of the tree during my visit. Officials at the spot told me the station boundary wall would be built there. There are chances the entire tree will be cut down, or its roots get damaged to a great extent. The wall can be easily built around the tree, keeping it intact," he said, adding that he has already raised the issue with the railway authorities and requested them to save the tree.
East Coast Railway (ECoR) authorities expressed helplessness over saving the tree. "The tree is required to be felled for construction of the foot overbridge's foundation. Options were explored to keep the tree, but the main foundation of the 12-metre-long FOB is obstructed. The FOB is an integral part of the station development work," said Ashok Kumar Mishra, chief public relations officer, ECoR.
Intach conducted a survey and identified 250 heritage trees that are more than 100 years old in Ekamra Khetra area in association with educational institutes like Utkal University, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, and a private university. Most of these are banyan and peepal trees, sources said.
Environment campaigner Biswajeet Mohanty said the Maharashtra govt put in place an action plan to protect trees older than 50 years in urban areas, by designating them as ‘historic trees'. The plan, which was passed in June 2021, included the concept of heritage trees and conservation, a process to define the age of the tree, guidelines to be followed before cutting them down, forming a Maharashtra Tree Authority, tree census, selecting a tree plantation land and imposition of fines for felling. "Odisha should also replicate a similar policy to protect big trees and the environment," said Mohanty.