After 58 days, 50-yr-old Maidan giants find their roots again
Times of India | 3 November 2025
Kolkata: Two 50-year-old giant trees — a mahogany and a radhachura — that had been uprooted 58 days ago opposite the eastern gate of Fort William (Vijay Durg) at the Kolkata Maidan were replanted on Sunday.
"Around a month ago, while driving down Red Road, I noticed two fully grown trees lying on the Maidan, about 25 feet apart," recalls Sanjay Jaisingh, a city-based tree lover and transplantation expert. The initial challenge — and the reason for the delay in replanting — was that this part of the Maidan had remained waterlogged for a long time, possibly due to poor drainage.
The replantation began around 6.30 am on Sunday with the help of a 15-tonne hydraulic crane and a payloader, and continued until 10 am.
"We first trimmed both trees down to about 20 feet from their original 60 feet using power saws. Finally, three trained workers successfully repositioned them at their original spots — all in record time," added Jaisingh.
Local councillor Susmita Bhattacharya Chatterjee, delighted with the replantation effort, said, "Old trees are stalwarts. If they topple in their old age, it is our duty to replant them and help them stand upright again."
Experts believe that for the trees to survive and regenerate successfully, they will need about 100 litres of water every alternate day for the next month.
Vermicompost-enriched soil, fungicides, and root aid were also used during the replantation process. Sarbani Roy, a botanist from the KMC's parks and squares department, was part of the project. "Now that the monsoon is over, it's important to hydrate the trees regularly to ensure their survival — a responsibility the KMC will handle," said Roy.
"We dug two holes, each five feet deep, to strengthen the roots and protect them from rodents," said Jaisingh.
It has been observed that some of the city's oldest rat colonies are located near the SSKM Hospital and the Maidan area. Preliminary findings suggest that one of the main reasons behind the trees' uprooting was rodent activity, which had loosened the soil and damaged the roots. Restricted root growth caused by a nearby concretised open drain and prolonged waterlogging may also have contributed to the uprooting.