Banyan tree near Cheyyar to be axed after workers died when a large branch fell on them

Century-old banyan tree in Kalanipakkam village to be cut down after fatal accident; officials plan to auction wooden logs.

Over a century-old banyan tree in Kalanipakkam village near Cheyyar town, Tiruvannamalai, where three MGNREGS women workers were killed when a branch fell on them, is slated to be cut down soon to prevent future accidents.

Officials of District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) said the tree held significance in the village as a venue for festivals, gram sabha meetings, and grievance days, situated near a temple pond. “The tree got snapped into two halves when the incident happened on Monday. It will take at least 3-4 days to uproot the tree,” K. Srinivasan, Block Development Officer, Cheyyar, told The Hindu.

Based on orders of Sub Collector (Cheyyar) Pallavi Varma, revenue officials will initiate steps to chop the tree into several wooden logs, which would be stored at local panchayat office premises before auctioning them.

Officials said that the tree is surrounded by government schools, public buildings including the panchayat office and temple that witness regular movement of people. Also, most of the overhead power cables go near the tree. As a result, a decision to remove the tree had been taken by the Sub Collector.

S. Venda, 65, K. Annapoorani, 75, and A. Pachaiyammal, 60, died after a large branch of the tree fell on them while they were resting during lunch break in the village on Monday. Around 10 others were injured in the incident.

A crane was used to rescue the trapped people before they were sent to Government Taluk Hospital. A case was registered. Efforts to provide compensation to victims were under way, officials said.