Residents of Delhi village on 24-hr vigil to guard 120-yr-old sacred tree
New Delhi Jan 22 PTI Residents of Khampur village in Delhis Alipur are keeping a strict vigil on a 120-year-old sacred banyan tree in the area after it was trimmed by unidentified people while they were asleepLocals of the village said they have an emotional attachment with the tree and worship it during festivals while some of them blamed the local land mafia for the incidentThe villagers approached the police after the issue came to light on FridayAjay Kumar a resident of the area said My father had passed away and we were busy with the rituals After we were done we got to know that the tree had been trimmed Nearly five to six branches of the tree which were around six inches wide were trimmed Kumar said that Khampur is his ancestral village and many generations of his family have lived thereHis nephew Mukesh said their family has lived in the area for nearly 200 yearsMy grandmother who was 90 and died a few years back used to tell us that when she came to this village after her marriage the tree was there You can imagine how old the tree must have been he saidWe have aged with the tree Seeing it in a state like this is painful an elderly person from the village saidAjay Kumar claimed that it was the work of the land mafiaA residential colony is being built on the piece of land where the tree stands We had told them to leave some space for the tree and not cut it It seems the people who are involved in construction are behind this he allegedHis nephew however said that the employers of the people who own the land denied any involvement in the actAjay Kumar said the villagers have been guarding the tree ever since the incident came to light He said police have asked them not to take the law in their hands and if any activity around the tree is observed they should be immediately informedThe villagers are planning to approach the district magistrate and concerned civic bodyMeanwhile a forest department official said they are not aware about the issueThe issue has not been brought to our notice No permission has been granted to anyone to cut any tree in the area If we receive a complaint we will look into it a forest official said PTI SLB GVS RHL
New Delhi Jan 22 PTI Residents of Khampur village in Delhis Alipur are keeping a strict vigil on a 120-year-old sacred banyan tree in the area after it was trimmed by unidentified people while they were asleepLocals of the village said they have an emotional attachment with the tree and worship it during festivals while some of them blamed the local land mafia for the incidentThe villagers approached the police after the issue came to light on FridayAjay Kumar a resident of the area said My father had passed away and we were busy with the rituals After we were done we got to know that the tree had been trimmed Nearly five to six branches of the tree which were around six inches wide were trimmed Kumar said that Khampur is his ancestral village and many generations of his family have lived thereHis nephew Mukesh said their family has lived in the area for nearly 200 yearsMy grandmother who was 90 and died a few years back used to tell us that when she came to this village after her marriage the tree was there You can imagine how old the tree must have been he saidWe have aged with the tree Seeing it in a state like this is painful an elderly person from the village saidAjay Kumar claimed that it was the work of the land mafiaA residential colony is being built on the piece of land where the tree stands We had told them to leave some space for the tree and not cut it It seems the people who are involved in construction are behind this he allegedHis nephew however said that the employers of the people who own the land denied any involvement in the actAjay Kumar said the villagers have been guarding the tree ever since the incident came to light He said police have asked them not to take the law in their hands and if any activity around the tree is observed they should be immediately informedThe villagers are planning to approach the district magistrate and concerned civic bodyMeanwhile a forest department official said they are not aware about the issueThe issue has not been brought to our notice No permission has been granted to anyone to cut any tree in the area If we receive a complaint we will look into it a forest official said PTI SLB GVS RHL
