After a haphazard removal process that has nearly damaged the iconic banyan tree at St. Inez and saw its branches casually chopped, the authorities reportedly conducted yet another late night operation to relocate the 200-year-old tree from its replanted spot at a new spot just 25 metres away. What will be achieved by shifting it just 25 metres away is anyone’s guess. With so much damage done to the roots and the branches, the survival of the grand old tree seems extremely remote. In the present instance the iconic banyan tree is devoid of prop roots. Relocation of trees is not a simple task. It requires the service of tree experts. According to experts transplanting any tree with a trunk girth of more than 80-90 cm is not advisable as the tree cannot bear the shock, and will eventually die. That effectively means that big, old trees cannot, in most cases, be removed to another location. The dead banyan tree will serve as a “memorial” to the countless trees that have been butchered across the state. A mute testimony of man’s insensitive heart. Befittingly, the "memorial" is in the capital city.
