What prompted you to campaign against this plan to cut off trees along the Kalanki-Koteshwar section of the Ring Road?
I want to stop the disappearance of the remaining trees along the Ring Road and god willing save Kathmandu from becoming a concrete jungle.
How did the campaign start? Is it an organized campaign?
As citizens we have watched with sadness trees being felled all over the city in the name of road widening. However, few of us have raised our voices, including Milan Rai’s white butterfly movement. When we noticed trees marked with numbers all the way from Kalanki to Koteshwor, we immediately decided to talk to the concerned authorities. This is not an organized campaign nor is it supported by any NGO or donor. This is a spontaneous response by concerned citizens.
What steps are you taking to stop this tree felling?
We’re mobilizing friends, general public, media and all concerned citizens to join us to protect these trees. We’ve been successful in getting the attention of the secretaries of the Ministry of Physical Planning, Forestry and Department of Roads whom we will be meeting soon.
Could you share your memories associated with the trees?
I’ve very fond memories of the Ring Road with its lush green trees, birds, open space and clean fresh air. I used to live very close to the Ring Road during my childhood in the early eighties. We used to cycle along the same stretch of the road and spend hours resting under these trees after cycling.
The government had planted these trees to develop green belt along the Ring Road. Can’t it be done again?
The land for the green belt was provided to the government by citizens to develop as a green belt not for any other purposes. I’m not a lawyer but we’ve been told that there’s a law that says land acquired must be used for the purpose it’d originally been provided for. So our understanding is that the green belt must be protected while expanding the roads.
There’s always this controversy between development and conservation. Which should come first?
They should go hand in hand and they can go hand in hand. It’s just our mindset about how we develop our country that has to change. If you’re disciplined, follow rules, and traffic is managed properly then even small/narrow roads will work.
Is there an alternative so that the trees are preserved and the road is expanded as well?
Yes, use the green belt for walkways and cycling and parking where possible. Re-plant where we can because due to a lack of monitoring of the green belt by the municipality hundreds of trees have already been cut by people encroaching those spaces for parking, shops, and dumping of construction materials.
What’s the response of the general public to your campaign?
It’s encouraging to see how there’s a growing movement of people who understand the importance of trees and realize that there’s a fine line between ‘development’ and ‘destruction.’ We want to take this further with just a simple motive of restoring Kathmandu as a clean, green and beautiful place to live in. Anyone who shares that dream is welcome to join us.
Conservationists argue that urban birds, about 100 species nesting in the Valley, could lose their habitat due to the cutting of these trees. What do you say?
I saw a very touching photograph taken by Milan Rai where a crow was perched on a fallen tree that destroyed its nest. The crow was apparently picking up those sticks and flying to another tree close by to build another nest. God knows whether that tree will survive for the crow to nurture its offspring. We must protect the disappearing habitat of Kathmandu’s urban birds.
What is your message to the general public and the concerned authorities?
To the authorities, I want to thank them for hearing our voices and agreeing to have a dialogue with us. We can only hope that they will come up with a creative road expansion plan. To the general public, I really want to appeal to them to join our movement, for the sake of yourself and your children.
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