Behind fresh tension in Goa, a 200-year-old banyan tree, a temple and a proposed highway | India News

The High Court of Bombay at Goa last week permitted the Public Works Department (PWD) and a hired contractor to go ahead with the translocation of the banyan tree. It is being translocated as it falls within the alignment of a six-lane elevated corridor on National Highway 66 – the work for which is ongoing.

On Sunday, when PWD officials arrived to carry out the translocation of the tree, accompanied by police personnel and an earthmover, some local residents and activists protested against any potential damage to the temple and removal of the idol.

The outer boundary wall of the temple was partially demolished, but the process was halted later in the evening.

“There was concern that there could be damage to the temple structure while pruning the tree branches during translocation. So, after a discussion, it was decided to relocate the idol of the deity. The temple priests and devotees performed prayers before the idol could be moved. However, some locals in the area objected to the idol being moved, due to which there was some tension. Two people were detained for obstructing the police,” an official said.

As the stand-off continued, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant released a statement saying, “Dev Shri Khapreshwar temple will be reconstructed by the Goa government at the new site of transplanted banyan tree.”

Devanand Prabhu, joint mamlatdar, Bardez, later told the media: “The work of removing Dev Khapreshwar’s idol has been stopped to prevent a law-and-order situation. We will proceed as per the law.”

In December 2024, a group of environmentalists had written to the Union Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways, requesting to redesign the span of the elevated corridor to save the temple and the banyan tree from demolition. The environmentalists had said the tree and Devasthan are considered sacred and worshipped by many.

While disposing of the petition filed in connection with the translocation of the tree last week, the High Court said the translocation should be carried out by the contractor strictly in terms of the methodology submitted to the Deputy Conservator of Forests. The petitioner had opposed the translocation, citing a report of the ecological consultant that “the tree will remain severely maimed for decades to come and it is not known whether or not it will return to its current state”.

Environmentalist Avertino Miranda, the convener of Goa Green Brigade, said: “The court order is only pertaining to the banyan tree, but the authorities went out of their way to demolish the temple, which has created tension in the area and hurt the sentiments of the people.”

“As per the timeline given, the authorities were supposed to translocate the tree between March 5 and March 10. We are not against translocation per se, but going by the history and past record, the five trees which were earlier translocated are almost dead. In other cases in the state, too, translocation has failed,” he said.