It’s those palm trees again!

The Airport Road, as it is commonly known because it runs along the Islamabad Airport, is being refurbished these days. While the dual carriageway of four lanes on each side has been newly tarred, the median is still undergoing some repairs or changes, although it has been quite a few months since the work began. One good step the civic authorities have taken is to close the road
that ran through the airport area as a short cut for
those who wanted to come
to Rawalpindi from the G
and H sectors in Islama-
bad. This road was some-
what of a security threat and an unnecessary artery since there is one further up the main road that serves the same purpose.

But surprise, surprise! The palm trees that were growing in the median have suddenly shot up in height! They have grown from a different species and a medium size to tall and that too, overnight, one or two at a time. Since sarcasm will not suffice to make a point, it must be said that it boggles the mind how the ‘Dubai’ syndrome is so common among our civic authorities that palms have to be planted on our boulevards and highways. No lessons have been learned from plantings that have taken place in previous years and failed.

Our city is not Dubai and never will be because we live in a different part of the
world! Palm trees are not indigenous to this part of the country and neither do they suit the environment -- they look and fare better in desert areas.

At a cost of millions of rupees, a decade ago, similar palm trees were planted all over Islamabad much to the chagrin of its residents, who felt that if tree plantation had to take place it should be of indigenous trees and not those alien to the soil and climate of this area.

The public furor and the fact that the trees looked rather ridiculous in the state they were in -– drooping and half dead -– forced the administration to uproot them and put them in a nursery, or so we were informed.

The Rawalpindi civic authority planted palms on Peshawar Road and they died. In 2007 a different species of palms (the Bismarck or ‘pankha’ palm as it is known in local parlance, grown in gardens) were planted along the airport road after it was widened.

Some trees grew slowly; others died and were replaced and this ongoing cycle continued till now. Nine years and a few barely flourishing trees were all there was to show for the cost and the labour that goes into caring for them. Imagine if trees indigenous to this area had been planted - they would be in full bloom by now and would not have required special care. Since it’s probably too late to do anything now, let’s keep our fingers crossed that this current transplanted lot of palms will survive and it’s not going to be a case of money down the drain, again.

There are many species of palm tree and if they must have them, civic authorities need to find which is suitable for planting in our area.