Don't miss the tree for the woods
tree, with major branches being lopped off so that large hoardings could be erected in front for the annual Durga Puja celebrations. My protests fell on deaf ears, of both the Puja organisers and the city administration.
Nothing has changed since then; if anything, matters have worsened. Because now, not branches but whole trees are being lopped off to make way for fully built-up apartment blocks which need unrestricted access in the front and back. While the media is full of stories of tears being shed and protests being launched to prevent the decimation of forests for mining and industrial projects and even precious urban green enclaves, who spares a thought for the lone tree?
Last month, two men in the UK pleaded not guilty to the charge of causing £622,191 worth of damage to a lone sycamore tree at what was called the Sycamore Gap, that had stood for over 200 years in the Northumberland National Park. It was one of the most photographed trees in the world, having stood all by itself in a natural dip next to the famous Roman Era Hadrian's Wall in northeastern England. Why it was cut has not been established.
But there was outrage across Britain when it was found to have been «murdered» one night in September 2023. The value of the damage wrought by the two alleged perpetrators is obviously more than the price of the wood. It is said to include the 'intangible' benefit that the famous tree brought to the area, given that it had featured in movies and been the venue for marriage proposals. But it also
