Belagavi’s iconic Club Road—recently approved for renaming in honour of veteran politician and former MP B. Shankaranand—has found itself at the centre of an unexpected debate. Not over the renaming, but over the needless cutting of a decades-old tree to install his statue.
Residents, walkers, and environmental enthusiasts are asking the same blunt question: Why should an old tree be sacrificed for a statue when ample open space already exists at the chosen spot?
While no one opposes honouring late Shri Shankaranand—whose long political career and public service are well-documented—citizens are deeply disturbed by the mindset that made tree-cutting the first solution instead of the last.
People at the site point out that the statue would have looked even more graceful under the shade of the mature tree, a natural canopy that has stood on Club Road for generations. Instead, planners and administrators chose the quickest, most destructive path—wielding an axe where thoughtful design would have easily sufficed.
This frustration is not about a single tree. It is about a recurring attitude.
Authorities rarely rush to fix potholes, repair broken footpaths, or ensure pedestrian safety.
But the moment a tree stands in the way of some project—no matter how symbolic or cosmetic—officials are suddenly efficient, present, and eager to act.
Citizens argue that if tradition, respect, and civic pride are the objectives, then preserving the city’s limited greenery should be part of that respect. Simple alternatives existed: trimming a few branches, adjusting the pedestal height, or shifting the alignment slightly. Yet none were considered.
And so, a bitter irony emerges.
If this continues—if every tree is viewed as an obstacle and never an asset—residents say the government may as well cut down every remaining tree in Belagavi and officially convert this once-beloved “hill station of the poor” into a concrete desert.
At least then, future generations will know clearly that this barren land was not lost to nature but to sheer administrative apathy.
The question now lingering in the air is sharp and uncomfortable:
When will our city planners learn that development is not measured by how many trees are cut, but by how many are saved?
Wonder whether the felling was permitted by the Forest Authorities….
लाकडात जाऊन सुद्धा अजून त्याच लाकडं वर कुऱ्हाड ?
This statue, whosoever’s must never be allowed to installed by us the citizens of Belgaum.
It looks that statue has greater value than d of strong trees.
What is the honble MP doing? He only talks of renaming rly stations, and some other hollow matters. We honour saalumarada thimakka but chop down trees. Is it for the common man to plant trees to be later felled at the whims and fancies of the selected few? We the people have to insist that the authorities who permit tree felling, have to necessarily publish the matter in the local news papers and only then act.
Obviously the powers that be are unaware of the benefits of trees. They give shade, clean the air, house many birds nests,fallen leaves turn into manure etc What does the statue do?? Become dust laden, practice area for pan spitters and targets for pigeons droppings. Ending in defacement and disrespect to the person honoured. Shameless and Shameful!