P K Datta
To my utter surprise the beautiful Alstonia avenue trees which grow up to 14 meters high and give us beautiful small greenish white tightly clustered flowers like Golf balls at the end of the branches scented specially during evenings from mid October to December. The bark of the tree is also useful for treating chronic diarrhoea, dysentery, asthma and fever besides being an aphrodisiac. These trees have selectively been pruned depriving them of the beautiful canopy hitherto they supported for serving the mankind. It has been done ostensibly to suggest that to save them from entangling with overhead electric wires by scouts of some agency.
It has been suggested that overhead cables should be laid underground to avoid this situation which is also unworkable as the same would be trapped in the roots of trees which normally go beyond five feet underground. Besides as is our experience with the multiple agencies involved in civic utilities there would be newer safety issues resulting from electric shocks etc.
Other better options can be resorted to without entangling with others. Request SDKS to fix up a meeting with DCoF, DDA etc of a select group to voice our anguish and concern. On my part I offer my presentation through a comprehensive report in this regard.
