Team Goemkarponn
PORVORIM: After tensions and protests, the authorities today at 3.30 am finally shifted Dev Khapreshwar’s idol to another location at Porvorim. Also works are underway to completely translocate 200-yr-old banyan tree to another location.
The temple has also been demolished to make way for the Porvorim flyover. A huge crowd had gathered at the site, protesting against the demolition of the temple and the cutting of the centuries-old banyan tree for the expansion of the national highway since last night.
Public and devotees objected to the fact that workers were removing the idol without performing the proper religious rites, despite the fact that authorities said priests had been sent in to perform the rites.
They insisted that the authorities show the document authorizing the idol’s relocation and the temple’s destruction.
Politicians and social and environmental activists banded together throughout the day to prevent the temple from being demolished. Devotees and activists fiercely disagreed with the decision and spoke loudly with Khapreshwar Devesthan officials.
They insisted on knowing why the temple was being demolished and the idol moved so quickly. Second, they insisted on knowing the location of the idol’s removal from the temple.
By destroying a temple without following the correct protocol and ceremonies, the demonstrators charged that the government was anti-Hindu. According to a political representative, the Porvorim constituency’s Hindu followers and those who swear by their faith refrained from attending the demonstration because they owe it to a politician.
Late on Saturday night, Dev Khapreshwar Devasthan Karthik Kudnekar, the president of the Dev Khapreshwar, told a station that a strong plea had been made to the Chief Minister’s Office to postpone the temple’s demolition for a few days. Kudnekar seemed devastated by the events.
“Union minister Nitin Gadkari agreed to ask his officials to consider shifting the alignment of the flyover slightly to protect the temple and the heritage banyan tree when a delegation visited Delhi,” he added. But, he replied, there were forces who were against it.
According to the High Court, Doctor Trees must closely follow the methodology it provided to the deputy conservator of forests at the January 31, 2025, meeting, as modified in the final action plan that was filed on February 25, 2025.
As recommended by the petitioners, the transplantation technique submitted by M/s Doctor Trees must be adhered to in its entirety, including maintaining a minimum height and width above ground level of 35 feet with adequate foliage and an average width of 13.2 feet.
To minimize shock and wilting, however, every attempt should be made to finish the full translocation exercise within 24 to 36 hours after the pruning or trimming begins.
