Following the government approval of the Chinese government"s assistance for the ring road expansion to 8 lanes, felling of 1239 trees in the road section drew protests by environmentalists. [break]
The "white butterfly movement" activists have suggested the Chinese government to widen the road only to 6 lanes to save the trees along the section that is to be expanded. Around 100 youths had approached Chinese Embassy at 3 pm to hand over a letter with their request.
“It is a matter of shame that we, the youths of the country, had to reach out to an embassy asking to consider its decision regarding the development works in our own place,” said an activist Ishan Adhikari. “But we had no choice left after the responsible government officials expressed their helplessness in the matter. They hinted us to relay the message to the Chinese Embassy instead.”
In the 5-point demand, the youths have insisted that the stretch of the ring road be expanded only after an independent scientific study and urban environmental implication assessment. “We believe that expanding the ring road to 6 lanes would be more than sufficient. Thus, we would like to see the consultancy hired by your government to alter your decision accordingly. Provisions for adequate green belts should be considered,” the letter reads.
Addressing a mass meet held by the group today, 15-year-old Sampada Shrestha said that conserving environment is everyone"s responsibility. “Felling so many trees is not a joke. We must speak our mind or else we will get used to keeping silence against injustices or odds,” she said.
On the other hand, the government has started cutting the branches of the trees though the trees have not been fully removed yet.
According to Ajit Karna, district forest officer at Lalitpur, it has no mandate to influence the decision. Moreover, since it is a huge development project, it should be welcomed. “Road expansion is the need of the time. Only the thing is green belts should be ensured while constructing the road,” he said.
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