Tree relief: After TOI report, KMC suspends pipe project
Times of India | 18 January 2026
Kolkata: A Kolkata Municipal Corporation project for laying water pipes in the New Alipore area was suspended temporarily to save several full-grown trees. Residents of New Alipore stepped out of their homes on Wednesday and stopped workers engaged by the KMC water supply department from digging a narrow pavement strip between F and G blocks after they found the workers bored tunnels through the roots of jarul and gulmohar trees. Roots of at least four big trees in the neighbourhood were hollowed by the senseless digging underneath. However, following a report published by TOI on Thursday, a team of officials from the civic body's water supply and parks department rushed to the spot and took measures to ensure the trees whose roots were harmed did not topple.
"We adopted measures as suggested by the botanists to save the trees that came under the senseless digging process. At the same time, we asked the contractor to explain the process of digging that proved to be detrimental for the full-grown trees. In future, we will keep a vigil on the functioning of the contractor," said a KMC water supply department senior official.
"Roots of at least four big trees in our neighbourhood were hollowed out by the senseless digging underneath. Though the trees are standing now, they will topple when there is a storm," was the initial reaction from F Block resident Amitabh Tibrewal, who lives right next to the dug-up stretch and was livid to find the tunnels that were dug through the roots of trees. However, Tibrewal later expressed satisfaction that the KMC officials acted in time and saved more trees from going into oblivion.
Jnan Goswami Sarani, where the digging was taking place, turned into a thoroughfare leading to a Bailey bridge that was set up when the Majerhat bridge crashed.
Local resident Meenakshi Pandeya, who had asked the workers to furnish documents, showing they could burrow under the trees, said she was happy that the danger was averted for the time being and vowed that she would again protest if trees are harmed in future.
"The danger is over, but for the time being. The pipe-laying work could have been done at the edge of the road instead of the pavement where the trees are. The manner in which the digging happened under the trees is shocking," said Pandeya.
While the jarul tree, also known as Pride of India, has purple flowers, the gulmohar tree has red ones. Together, they add a dash of colour to the neighbourhood, making it picturesque, and are a source of pride to the residents.