400 trees chopped down for President’s visit

Some of them blocked view of beach in Andamans

CHENNAI: President Pratibha Patil’s scheduled Boxing Day helicopter-hopping across Andaman and Nicobar has cost the islands a few hundreds of trees. They have been chopped down to ensure a “clear and safe” stay for the President.

The President will, besides other activities, give away 200 houses for tsunami victims of Kinyuka village in Car Nicobar on Wednesday. More than 400 trees have been chopped down, among other things to create a ‘funnel area’ for the presidential chopper to land and take off, in Port Blair, Havelock Island and Vandur.

The tree-felling started a couple of weeks ago, before the President set out on a southern sojourn starting with Hyderabad.

Andamans residents told DNA over telephone that several old trees on the five-km stretch from Chatham Road to Raj Nivas in Port Blair, where the President will be put up, were cut down. “The authorities told us that some of the trees are too old and may fall any time, endangering the President’s motorcade. Not even a branch has fallen on the road till date,” said Thomas Thenalil, a resident.   

“Trees as old as 100 years were cut down. At least 60 trees between the airport and Raj Nivas were cut down. There is nobody to question and nobody to answer,” K Ganesan, editor of Andaman Express, a Port Blair newspaper, said.  

In Havelock, 60 km from Port Blair, where the President will be visiting for a day, trees were cut down since they blocked the view of the beach from where the President would be sitting. “Havelock island has a helipad, but the trees were cut because the VVIP cannot see the beach from the designated place,” said Johnson, a social worker.

Ganesan said several trees were chopped down to pave a new road from Havelock jetty to Shyamnagar beach, where Patel would be relaxing for a while. Havelock island is known for its white sandy beaches, turquoise waters and coral reefs.

In Vandur, the administration paid a nominal compensation per tree on private land. Officials were either “too busy with the preparations of the President’s visit” or “not in the know of things,” when DNA contacted them. Chief secretary Chhering Targay, said only the principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) would be able to speak about the tree-cutting.

PCCF SS Chaudhary acknowledged that trees were cut, but maintained that this was done on the instructions of the IAF. “The IAF did a survey and told us to clear the funnel area of trees for the chopper to land and take off. Only the public works department (PWD) would know how many trees were cut down,” Chaudhary said. When contacted, PWD chief engineer N Ravi said he has “no idea how many trees have been cut.”

The President will leave the islands on December 29.