Residents give tree 'Asha' hope of a second life

A tree in Nagarbhavi named “Asha” by locals, has become a real hope for dwellers of west Bengaluru.

Nearly three months after it was felled during development works, the tree is back to life again. Locals had tried calling up the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike officials many times, but did not get any response.

Around three months ago, locals noticed an uprooted tree just behind the BDA complex in Nagarbhavi, near Ramakrishna Hegde Park.

A few of them named it “Asha’’ and decided to revive it. The trunk of the fallen tree, with a few roots, was transplanted three metres away from its earlier location.
“I used to see the tree every day. I contacted Vijay Nishanth of Project Vruksha team to revive the plant. He examined the tree and decided to give it another chance by relocating it,” said Deepti Haridas, a resident of Nagarbhavi.

Locals are now guarding and watering the tree. “A few days ago, some workers came to dig roads to lay cables and repair the road. But we chased them away. We want the tree to grow again and do not want any tree to be axed here,” said Someshwara, a local.

Nishanth said the Basavana Pada tree (Bauhinia purpurea) is aged around 15 years and its girth is around 130 to 150 cm. Fresh leaves have started growing from its trunk, which is a good sign. It was termite infected and needs nutrition and chemical treatment, he said.
DH News Service