pune many residents of baner pashan link road spent last weekend on the roadthey werent travelling anywhere but were rather busy saving the peepal trees recently planted in the area not only did the drooping saplings need support but they also required protection from goatsthe residents pooled in discarded bamboos and sturdy sticks of wood from their own residential societies and individual homes to support nearly 70 young saplings some of which were on the verge of dying out on sunday they gathered to tie support to the upcoming trees by digging the soil and inserting the sticks insidemost of the sticks were contributed by residents and associations of camellia rolling hills padmavilas echelon and kumar sahwas residential societies all located on the link road inhouse gardeners of a few societies also volunteered to help the environmentally conscious citizenson sunday the group also tracked down the goat owners and travelling herds entering the area regularly to urge them to stop the animals from grazing on the new saplings the citizens request to the areas garden department to provide them with tree guards meanwhile has met with a cold response from the civic body the residents sought metallic protectors around the saplings to prevent goats from grazingthe garden department however has a different take on the issue we have stopped the policy of financing tree guards for four years now i am aware of the goat problem in the area but we are talking to herders to prevent their visits near the newlyplanted trees a local level official of the garden department saidbaner pashan link road vikas samiti an association of 53 residential societies in the area is currently contemplating pooling in contributions from residents to put up tree guards but is waiting for official communication from the pune municipal corporation pmc phased plantation of almost 1200 trees is planned for this arearavindra sinha member of the environment subcommittee of the samiti said tree guards are being used routinely in pimpri chinchwad we dont understand why pmc is reluctant survival of newlyplanted saplings is critical or the entire effort of plantation will go to wastetree guards are being used routinely in pimpri chinchwad we dont understand why pmc is reluctant the survival of newlyplanted saplings is critical or the entire effort of plantation will go to waste if tree guards are not used