Butwal, Sept. 30 -- More than 7,000 trees have been felled along the Butwal-Gorusinghe road section of the East-West Highway for widening, leaving the once tree-shaded roadside barren. The removal has also destroyed hundreds of resting sheds built under large trees, erasing long-standing community spaces.

According to the project office, 7,175 trees were cut down along the 31-km stretch. To compensate, the project has committed to planting 10 new saplings for every tree felled, with a target of 71,000. For this, it has already paid Rs471 million to the Department of Forests through various divisional offices. The cost also includes five years of care for the new trees.

Despite this arrangement, no plantation has started. The roadside, o...