500 Trees Face a Massacre

Sumar Singh Sawian

It can happen only in Meghalaya, as the forest department has taken a unilateral decision, without any basis to massacre around 500 trees, considered to be a danger to human lives, the cause being that an old eucalyptus tree, because of weak roots over the years, came crashing down during the summer heavy rains, killing three persons. The eucalyptus tree is a native of Australia but somehow was grown in the premises of the Raj Bhavan Shillong. The tree has no fault of its own, as all along the years it was left unattended and uncared for. At this, the blame and responsibility should go to the attendants of Raj Bhavan, looking after the vegetation gardens which also include trees of different species.