650-year-old Chattergam Chinar among Asia’s oldest, J&K govt tells Assembly
Budgam, KNT: The historic Chinar tree at Chattergam in Budgam district is around 650 years old and among the oldest Chinars in Asia, the Jammu and Kashmir government informed the Legislative Assembly.
The Forest, Ecology and Environment Department said some older and dried branches of the tree had naturally fallen, while the remaining portion continued to remain green.
The government said an iron fence has been installed around the tree’s critical root zone to prevent soil compaction and root suffocation and restrict vehicular movement around the heritage tree.
Under existing protection measures, cutting even a branch of a Chinar requires prior permission from the local administration. Activities including hammering nails into the trees, attaching signboards, carving on the bark and damaging the bark or roots are also prohibited.
Responding to a question by Budgam MLA Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi, the department said the decline in Chinar numbers across Kashmir has been attributed to natural ageing, diseases and pest attacks, felling for developmental activities, shrinking land availability and population growth.
The government has also undertaken measures for the wider protection and preservation of Chinar trees across Jammu and Kashmir. [KNT]
