Destroying in order to build!

We welcome the High Court directive on the authorities to maintain the status quo on felling of trees on Jessore-Benapole highway. We would hope that the six-month status quo order stay would be made a permanent stay order.

It is strange that despite the fact that the government has ample land on both sides of the Jessore-Benapole  road, the local authorities are intent on felling 2,300 trees, several hundreds of which are two-century-old, to accommodate the increased traffic on the highway. However, it is entirely possible to build a two-lane road and keep the trees in the middle, according to experts and environmentalists.

More than 2,000 trees are not a small matter. From an environmental viewpoint, old trees absorb most carbons from the atmosphere, not to speak of the shade they provide in the hot summers to the travellers. They support more species than the younger trees. That speaks volumes about the significance of these trees.

These magnificent trees are iconic too not only because of their picturesque view but also because they bear the memories of millions of Bengali refugees fleeing the horror of war in 1971.

As reported by this newspaper, a part of the stretch of the Jessore road on the Indian side which the Indian authorities have constructed is a two-lane road with the trees in the middle. So, there's an example to follow.

We urge the local authorities to shelve the current plan and chalk out a new plan of building a two-lane road, which places the trees in the middle. We understand the importance of development, but the kind of development that destroys nature is unacceptable.