Khandwa: A 75-year-old peepal tree was relocated in Madhya Pradesh's Khandwa on Sunday in an effort to save it from being axed. A first-of-its-kind event in the city, the initiative for the same was taken up by Ritesh Goyal, a social worker from Khandwa, who said he wanted to put out a message of environmental protection.
"During the Covid period, I saw people gasping for breath as there was a shortage of oxygen, and I realised thereafter the importance of trees," Goyal noted. The job at hand, however, was a major one requiring professional observation, for which Vaga Reddy, a domain expert, was brought to the location, he said.
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He has shifted many big trees in the past. With his help, the tree was taken out in six hours using the help of three cranes, a JCB machine and a trolley, Goyal stated. The tree was taken to the Balaji Dham area of the city where it will be planted in a plot adjacent to the temple. Highlighting the arduous measures undertaken, social worker Sunil Jain said the process to obtain permission to cut trees in the city was simple, but "it took three months to get shifting clearance for the tree". "It took a long time for the Forest Department and the Municipal Corporation to find the ways, only after which the permission was granted," he added.
