Decades-old Peepal tree relocated for construction activity at SCR

Hyderabad: Trees are the first casualty when the administration takes up any infrastructure project. However, South Central Railway (SCR) has shown us how to balance infrastructure with ecological preservation. The railway authorities are taking up some construction activity in their premises and this decades-old tree was needed to be moved to a different place, according to a press release.

In an effort to preserve the ecology, the SCR authorities successfully translocated a 60-year-old peepal tree (Ficus Religiosa) at its headquarters, Rail Nilayam, Secunderabad. The tree is nearly 40-feet tall and has a 3.5-metre circumference.

It would not have been possible for them to accomplish this task without the expertise of Kurnool-based nature expert A Chandramouli. He utilized his conservation techniques along with the modern equipment to relocate the tree while keeping the tree’s root system intact.

The translocation of the tree included a pre and post-treatment with 50 kg neem cake mixed with oil. Later, the nature expert cut down the stems, and the new site was spread with 180 kg of natural manure along with sprinkling two litres of humic acid diluted in 200 litres of water. Chandramouli predicted that new shoots will begin to grow within three to six months.

It may be noted here that SCR had translocated three trees at Kacheguda’s Railway Coaching Depot in 2021.