Civic body’s gift uprooted before plantation at homes

Surat: Thousands of women who received the gift of banyan saplings on Vat Savitri day some 40 days ago from Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) have chosen to discard them. The main reason was the fear that the roots of a grown up banyan tree can uproot their houses.
SMC’s garden department thought it is a good idea to distribute banyan sapling because it has religious significance and also medicinal properties.Civic officials distributed nearly 4,500 banyan saplings to the women in the hope that they will all plant them in their gardens. However, majority of the women got rid of the saplings, saying they would not have mind planting some other tree.
“We gave the saplings only to those women who demanded them. Therefore, it was natural of us to to hope they all would be planted,” said S Gautam, garden superintendent, SMC.
A woman said, “It would have been better had the civic officials given us some flowering plants. We would have planted them happily in our gardens but not the banyan saplings. The civic officials should understand the reason behind the women rejecting the banyan saplings-a grown up tree becomes a home of spirits.” Surat’s historic fort built in the 16th century got destroyed mainly due to banyan trees near its walls, some women said.
SMC sources said distribution of banyan saplings to women was the idea of a former mayor.