It is slightly relieving to learn that the High Court has halted the felling of century-old trees along the Jessore-Benapole road for six months. The High Court's intervention came following protests against the government's decision to cut down the trees.

The magnificent trees are particularly iconic, not only because such picturesque roads are rarely found anywhere else in the country, but also because of Allen Ginsberg's famous poem, “September in Jessore Road”, in which he portrayed a poignant picture of millions of Bengali refugees crossing the border, fleeing the war in 1971.

However, when we oppose the government's decision to cut down the trees, we must keep in mind first and foremost their environmental significance. These old trees capture most of the carbon from the atmosphere. Older trees are more important than the younger trees because they support a wide range of species.

We urge the government to refrain completely from taking such a destructive step. We want development, but the kind of “development” that fails to take environmental sustainability into account is not desirable.

Tamim Khan, Chittagong