Aaditya Thackeray seeks change in highway alignment to save 400-year-old banyan tree

State environment and tourism minister Aaditya Thackeray wrote to Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari requesting him to save a 400-year old banyan tree in Sangli

State environment and tourism minister Aaditya Thackeray wrote to Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari requesting him to save a 400-year old banyan tree in Sangli district that is designated to be axed for the construction of a national highway through a village. Thackeray, in the letter to Gadkari, requested to change the alignment of the proposed national highway to save the tree.

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The locals in the Bhause village in the district have also opposed the cutting of the tree for the construction of the Ratnagiri-Kolhapur-Miraj-Solapur National Highway 166.

In the letter, Thackeray said, “There is a temple of Goddess Yalamma in the village which has a 400-year-old banyan tree. This banyan tree covers an area of around 400 square meters and has a historical significance and is a natural habitat for bats and other rare birds.” Considering the historical significance and the damage it could cause to the local environment, the minister requested to change the alignment of the highway to some extent and save the banyan tree.