Kasaragod : An ancient pipal tree that happened to be growing on route of highway expansion in Neeleswaram, has the fortune of evading axe and instead being reset – stump, roots and all – to its new expanse 20 km away on Bekal beach. The relocation was done on Environment Day, Sunday.
The tree was 200-year-old and marked to be axed. Officials at the Bekal Resort Development Corporation(BRDC) took notice and offered to own up its removal. Soon, MD Shijin Parambath spoke with Highway officials. Later, the tree’s branches were trimmed, stump retained and rooting structure excavated using JCB. A crane then carefully slid it nto a lorry and and rode it to Bekal. There, a waiting crane gently lowered the tree into a massive pit, dug the previous day using a JCB.
Officials now wait looking to see if the grandma tree will indeed root into her new abode. Should new shoots sprout from her trimmed branches, the officials plan to take up more transplantations for trees marked for the axe.
