GUWAHATI, Aug 3 - The Public Works Department today claimed that it has no plans to chop down the tress along the road at Madhyam Khanda in North Guwahati which is being widened. The PWD has taken up a project for widening and improving the 11.5-km road from Amingaon to Rangmahal High School. The Rs 50-crore project started about eight months back.
There were strong reactions from environmentalists and public after some trees along the road were marked with a white cross sign, triggering apprehensions that they could be chopped down for widening the road.
According to the PWD, there are 48 trees along a one-km stretch of road at Madhyam Khanda. �There are no plans to cut down the trees. Some of them are very old. The trunk circumference of one of the trees is 11 meters,� a PWD official told The Assam Tribune.
In fact, the PWD claimed that it is planning to put up barricades around some of the trees to protect them.
The trees along the road that include pepul, banyan, elephant apple, etc., have been supporting large colonies of birds besides providing shelter to small mammals, reptiles and insects. The trees are also contributing immensely to the well-being of the natural environment and adding to the area�s aesthetic appeal.
