About three dozen trees, including some as old as 50 years, will face the axe to make way for widening and improvement of the major district road leading to the St Alex Church in Calangute.
The road improvement project includes widening of road, hotmixing and construction of a median.
Trees play a significant role in reducing erosion and moderating the climate. They remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store large quantities of carbon in their tissues.
Trees and forests provide a habitat for many species of animals and plants. Tropical rainforests are among the most biodiverse habitats in the world.
Trees also provide shade and shelter, during the travel by walking and fresh oxygen during the day.
In the past, many trees have been felled for road widening which has created a desert type atmosphere.
The clearance by the Calangute Panchayat and the MLA needs a lot to be desired. Hope better sense prevails.
