Bhopal: Women and children protest against the tree cutting; CM responds

Two banyan and peepal trees were saved from being cut, by the residents of Bagh Sevania, in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The PWD officers were seen uprooting the trees on Tuesday for the construction of the 12 km road between Chunna Bhatti to Barai. On Wednesday morning, the children and women from the area were seen campaigning with posters and requesting CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan to stop the trees from being cut. 

The two banyan and peepal trees are on one side of the road behind the Vishwakarma temple in Bagh Sevania. They have been there for around 20 years and have religious significance.

CM responds

The CM recorded a video, in response to the event. In the video, The CM addressed and appreciated the efforts taken to save the trees. In the video, he addressed the women and children and mentioned that the road would be diverted and the trees will not be harmed in the process. The CM had also appealed to the people to plant more trees and to continue such campaigns aimed at saving the environment. 

But is planting trees enough to stop or help with climate change? While this might seem the easiest option, scientists have argued that planting even a trillion trees would take hundreds of years to show the effect.

Conclusion

Madhya Pradesh is considered to be the state with the largest forest cover, according to the Indian State of Forest Report - 2021. However, these forests are under immense pressure due to the projects and constructions, according to Amit Bhatnagar, an environmental activist. One such example is the Buxwaha diamond project. Buxwaha forest, located in the Chhatarpur district, has been in the news due to the diamond project that could come at a cost of  2.5 lakh trees being cut down. 

Saving 2 trees to divert a road in a small residential area makes for a good PR event. But, the harmful big projects such as the Buxwah diamond projects are never a point of public conversation. If it takes a few women and children to save two trees, how many would it take to save 2.5 lakh trees from being cut?

Keep reading

• Microplastics contamination in Bhopal’s soil: research
• People of Landfill sites: Ground Report from Aadampur Chhawani Bhopal
• Chestnut farming is the livelihood of Bhopal’s Fishermen
• Bhopal’s ineffective single-use plastic ban!

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