Dehradun, Mar 30 (PTI) Environmentalists and intellectuals on Sunday took out a tree funeral procession here as part of the 'Save Environment Movement 2.0' to protest against the indiscriminate felling of trees for development projects.

Dozens of people gathered at the Parade Ground in the heart of the city under the banner of 'Long Suffering Citizens of Dehradun' and paid homage to the trees that have been cut down so far and those that will soon be cut down in the name of 'demonic development'.

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People dressed in white, with black bands tied on their mouths, peacefully marched towards the state secretariat carrying a bier made of dry tree branches. However, the police stopped them midway, after which the speakers protested there.

These branches were brought from the 'graveyard of trees' that was replanted in the area near Rajiv Gandhi Cricket Stadium after being translocated from Sahasradhara Road two years ago. All these trees never flourished and dried up.

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On this occasion, well-known Social Activist Anoop Nautiyal said that there should be a complete ban on the transfer of forest land for any project in Doon Valley so that no more trees are cut. He said that for the proposed widening of the Rishikesh-Dehradun road which would lead to the cutting of more than 3,000 trees, so that the travel time between these cities is reduced by 15 minutes.

Nautiyal said, 'The Chipko movement was started in Uttarakhand 51 years ago. Now for the first time in the history of the country, such a funeral procession has been taken out in Dehradun. This will ignite the awareness about the environment in the entire country.'

On this occasion, speakers like Jyotsna, Ajay Sharma and Karan also expressed their views. They said that since the formation of the state, trees have been cut on a large scale which has greatly affected the climate of Dehradun.

They said that earlier people used to come to Dehradun from Delhi for a good climate but now the situation here is also getting worse.

A year ago too, through this movement, the cutting of trees for the widening of the Garhi Cantt road was opposed, as a result of which the government had to step back and announce that now trees would not be cut.

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