Weak at roots, century-old tree falls at historic Company Bagh in Amritsar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 23

Even as the historic Ram Bagh, known as Company Bagh, is an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)-protected site, a large number of fully grown old trees are falling prey to termite and rodents digging their burrows under their roots. In a recent incident, a large tree, which had dried up, crashed at Ram Bagh recently.

Regular visitors to the Bagh say that the tree fell on its own five days ago. “Though it was a windy day, it was not sufficient enough to cause the fall of a large tree. Obviously, the tree collapsed due to the weakening of its roots caused by termite and rodents,” said Jagvir Singh, a visitor.

A visit to the Bagh reveals that rats have dug burrows under each and every tree. Some of the trees are 100 years or older. And this is not the first instance of a tree being uprooted. Earlier too, a large tree near Children’s Park had crashed as its stem was eaten up by termite.

A visit to the Bagh also reveals that some superstitious people put grains into the burrows under trees. Apart from attracting a large number of joggers, the Bagh has become a favourite place for many people who offer grains to pigeons and rodents to ward off ‘evil spirts’ as is suggested by their tantriks and babas.

Some residents say that apart from the historical buildings in the Bagh, old trees too are part of the heritage and need to be protected. “When the Bagh was developed during Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s time, he had brought many species from other places apart from native trees. A little care of these trees would not cost much,” said Vivek Sharma, another visitor.

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