The Deccan Chronicle 06.09.2010
Old trees come down for Big Temple feteSept. 5: Indiscriminate felling of old trees and demolition of newly-laid footpaths on either side of the road in various places in Thanjavur town by municipal authorities on the pretext of carrying out development work as part of the ongoing millennium year celebrations of the Big Temple has evoked strong protests from the public.
The municipality had recently laid footpaths on either side of the road on court road in Thanjavur at an outlay of Rs 17 lakh for the convenience of pedestrians under the special project for the beautification of the town.
Though various people welfare organisations protested against this, arguing that a footpath on either side of the road would only make it narrower and lead to traffic congestion, the municipality went ahead with the project.
Ironically, several old trees that stood on either side of the road were indiscriminately felled by the municipal authorities during the exercise.
The district administration turned a blind eye to this mindless act though the collectorate was located on the very same road.
The newly-laid footpaths were declared open for public use recently. Much to the dismay of the locals, the municipality has now started demolishing the footpaths for widening the road as part of the Big Temple millennium year celebrations announced by the state government. It has also started felling several old trees.
This mindless act of the municipality has invited the ire of the public and various people welfare organisations. “This mindless act clearly shows that the municipality is shortsighted,” municipal councillor P. Rajeswaran (AIADMK) said.
The municipality, already reeling under financial crunch, has resorted to this mindless act to facilitate the visit of chief minister M. Karunanidhi to the armed reserve police ground located on court road during his visit to the town to participate in the Big Temple celebrations on September 25 and 26, he alleged.
He also condemned the municipality for this mindless act. Various offices, including the offices of collector, superintendent of police, taluk office and district sessions court and public works department, frequented by the public, are located on the very same road.
By demolishing the newly-laid platform, the municipality has squandered/wasted the tax payers’ money which could have been used for carrying out several development works, Tamil Desa Podhuvudaimai Katchi district secretary Pazha Rajendran said. He also appealed to the municipal authorities to immediately stop demolishing the footpath and felling the trees.
When contacted, municipal commissioner T. Natarajan clarified that the platform was demolished only on one side of the road. He also said the decision was taken at the government secretaries-level for widening the road to ease traffic congestion.
