Debris of the fully grown roadside trees which were burnt down by encroachers along the Periyapaathai on the outskirts of Puliyangudi.
\| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The merciless ‘murder’ of a few hundred trees along a road connecting Puliyangudi and the ranches on the lap of the Western Ghats has agitated the conservationists and the public.

As part of its “Greening Initiative”, Rotary Club of Puliyangudi, in association with Department of Forest, planted over 5,200 saplings in 2016 on both sides of 5 km-long ‘Periyapaathai’ connecting Puliyangudi and the foothills of the Western Ghats. This road is used by farmers going to their farms where the famous ‘Puliyangudi’ lemon is raised besides other crops, by schoolchildren, and the inmates of a hostel on this road.

Sourcing two-year-old saplings of neem, Indian beech (pungai), Java plum (naaval) and other country varieties from a Cuddalore-based nursery, the Rotary Club, spearheaded by its office-bearer Sankaranarayanan, planted the saplings. The then District Collector M. Karunakaran and former Chief Conservator of Forest Irulandi inaugurated the drive.

After placing tree guards, the Rotary Club arranged to water the saplings twice a week.

Puliyangudi Municipality, while laying drinking water pipes as part of its Kottamalaiyar Drinking Water Scheme, uprooted around 100 trees. However, it was stopped immediately, thanks to the efforts of Mr. Sankaranarayanan, who took up the matter with municipal Commissioner Pavunraj.

Even as the encroachers were systematically encroaching upon the 80-feet-wide ‘Periyapaathai’ on both sides to shrink to a 20-feet-wide road now, they are destroying the trees hampering their illegal move to occupy the government land.

“To make things easier for them, the encroachers are regularly setting fire to the trees at several spots along the ‘Perumpaathai’. Consequently, only 2,300 of the 5,200 trees have survived. Stringent action by the Puliyangudi municipality, police and the Department of Forest is needed to save at least the remaining trees,” said Mr. Sankaranarayanan.

District Forest Officer R. Rajmohan promised to take action against those who cut the trees and set them on fire.

MATTER ENDS

PAJS

Published - July 21, 2026 09:38 pm IST