Villagers in Aloor in Thrissur district are on a mission to give rebirth to a more-than-100-year-old mango tree, which was set on fire by some anti-social elements.
The tree has been treated with Vrikshayurveda, treatment procedures under Ayurveda for trees, to protect it from wilting.
The mango tree is the oldest among the three trees, standing on the side of Aloor-Moonnupeedika State highway at Aloor centre.
Some people set it on fire by heaping dry leaves under it two weeks ago. According to local people, those who tried to burn it also used some kind of inflammable liquid to set it on fire. The bark of the tree trunk up to five feet was burnt in the fire. They cut branches of nearby tree too.
Concoction of Ayurveda medicines and natural products including different kinds of soils, rice flour, cow dung, ghee, milk, sesame, black gram, honey, and kadali plantain is used to treat the tree.
The Ayurveda medicine mixture was applied on the trunk of the tree. It was covered with a cotton cloth and tied with jute fibre.
According to K. Binu of Kottayam, an environmental activist and an expert in treating such trees, who did the treatment, the tree is expected to get cured in six months.
The effort to protect the tree was initiated by the biodiversity management committee (BMC) of the Aloor gram panchayat.
“It is a pre-planned attempt to destroy the tree. There was an attempt to call tender by the PWD for cutting these mango trees in 2016 on a complaint by a person residing nearby. Later the tender procedure was cancelled following people’s protest against cutting the healthy trees. Somebody set on fire to the tree that time too,” said P.K. Kittan, convenor of the biodiversity management committee. Later, the gram panchayat protected the trees with protective walls, he recalled.
Meanwhile, the Aloor gram panchayat has given a formal complaint to the police, PWD engineer, Irinjalakuda, and Social Forestry Range officer, Chalakudy, seeking action against the anti-social elements behind the incident. A people’s forum has been formed for the protection of the trees on the streets in Aloor gram panchayat.
0 Comments