Hi! I am  Dheeksha, a 13 year old from Chennai.When I came across an article that said that 17000 trees will be axed to lay the Chennai-Bengaluru Expressway Highway, I was personally distressed. So, I read more about it, and it only got worse. As stated in the article, around 5.4 hectares of reserve forest land in Kancheepuram, Vellore and Ranipet will be taken over to lay the Chennai-Bengaluru Expressway (BCE).26 water reservoirs or lakes, all of which will also be affected by this. Of the Rs 3472 crores sanctioned in this union’s budget for the third phase of the project, Rs 66 crore is to be used by the NHAI (National Highway Authority Of India) for compensatory  afforestation and environmental monitoring. In addition to this, one of  the senior NHAI officials has stated that the government's compensatory afforestation guideline will be strictly followed.”Ten trees will be planted for every tree felled",he declared.

When I discussed this issue with my father, he suggested uprooting the trees and planting them nearby, instead of chopping them off and planting seedlings. Space can be left for the construction of the highway and the trees can be planted near the road. This undeniably will require many heavy machines and labour. The NHAI could surely use the 66 crores to implement this idea. This way we can develop our highway system without harming our oxygen providers. If we plant a new sapling it would take a minimum of 20 years to grow into a full-fledged tree but if we uproot and replant them, the same old trees could provide us with oxygen. These trees also reduce noise pollution from the vehicles and the towns nearby and cutting these trees would surely make noise pollution more of a nuisance than it already is. Another reason why I think this is a good idea is because there is no assurance that they will plant the saplings as promised. I believe so, because the aforesaid article talked about Gokul Raj of Voice of Nature Trust, member of a non-profit organization, has filed many cases in the past against NHAI for false afforestation claims. He also said that authorities take such drivers only for namesake and respond only when national green tribunal or the courts pull them up. A classic example is Chennai-Tirupati NH205. After reading this I personally don't trust the NHAI’s promise. I truly believe in this idea, so I did some research on how to transplant trees easily, and found out that it could be done using a machine called a tree spade. It pours water near the trees which makes it easier to lift the tree. Then, it sends down spades, as the name suggests, and lifts the tree up. The cost of this machine depends upon the size of the tree and the variety. 

I firmly believe that this is a more efficient and environmentally friendly method in comparison with the cutting of the trees. I am writing this petition to demonstrate the existence of many efficient and alternate ideas with today's technology rising above everything. 

The works on the key road infrastructure project could be flagged off before the elections are held to the Assembly in Tamil Nadu, whose term is scheduled to end in May 2021. So, we still have time to stop the cutting of trees. The decision makers are as follows:

• NHAI
• National Green Tribunal
• Ministry Of Road Transport And Highway
• Tamilnadu State Government
• Indian Forest Service
• Minister Of Environment,Forest, And Climate Change
• Prakash Javadekar-Cabinet Minister  (MoEF)
  
  

In order to sustain climate change, noise pollution and soil erosion, increasing heat, water pollution, attack of UV rays, wildlife and a lot more, I demand that these 17000 trees are not being cut. Do sign this petition if you agree with my idea and if you wish to live in an eco friendly environment.

Kindly sign this petition for an eco friendly environment.    

#techsavestrees