Can we have some 'trunnels': Anand Mahindra asks Nitin Gadkari

Mahindra Group chairperson Anand Mahindra and Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari

A tree tunnel is a source of both beauty and respite to those who travel beneath it and industrialist Anand Mahindra has chosen to call them "trunnel".

These "trunnels" are roads where the trees on each side form a continuous canopy overhead forming a green tunnel. Taking to Twitter, the Mahindra Group chairperson shared a video of one such tree tunnel and wrote, "I like tunnels, but frankly, I’d much rather go through this kind of ‘Trunnel’."

He also tagged Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari in the tweet and added, "@Nitin Gadkariji, can we plan to purposefully plant some of these trunnels on the new rural roads you are building?"

I like tunnels, but frankly, I’d much rather go through this kind of ‘Trunnel’ …@nitin_gadkari ji, can we plan to purposefully plant some of these trunnels on the new rural roads you are building? https://t.co/6cE4njjGGi

— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) August 27, 2022

But before Gadkari could respond, Twitter users pointed out that many places in the country already have such "trunnels" began to share photos and videos of the tree tunnels they have travelled through.

We have that in Pollachi already pic.twitter.com/6yDi1fvUEV — Ganesh Subramaniam (@ganeshsp86) August 27, 2022

Sir, there is a road between the Paunta Saheb and Dehradun, covered with trees, I drove many times though it pic.twitter.com/61cETb1W28

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— Lost in Paradise  (@Lost_human19) August 27, 2022

Anand Mahindra even retweeted some of the videos of similar "trunnels" that Twitter users shared.

A few others took to sharing their opinions about the tree tunnels. "If the trees are not strong enough then it could fall on the vehicles and also block the highway. So it all depends on the soil and the weather condition of the area, what type of trees etc. Surely it will look very nice if safety is not an issue," commented former Union Health Minister Dinesh Trivedi.

"Native trees are the best bet. They don't topple easily. But they take a long time to grow. Once upon a time the road from Salem to tuticorin had tamarind trees on both sides. They would grow in girth and hardly topple," added Twitter user Raja Subramani (@RajaSubramani22).

Read more: 'Do you need more evidence?': Anand Mahindra shares video of beggar using UPI