Indiscriminate tree felling in Shamshabad raises concerns

Rangareddy: Contrary to the regulations framed for the safe relocation of old trees affected by road-widening projects, a tree-cutting drive is allegedly going on unabashedly under the Shamshabad municipality. While the Telangana Water, Land, and Trees Act 2002 (WALTA) prohibits such harsh cutting and suggests the proper relocation of natural resources to safer locations, no such measures are allegedly being followed in Shamshabad. The Act firmly prohibits felling a tree, including burning, cutting, debarking, girdling, and the release of harmful chemicals.

While municipal officials are pointing fingers at officials from the forest department, local residents believe the drive is being done under the supervision of officials from the local municipality. On Tuesday, it was found that trees standing on both sides of the road leading to Chinna Golconda under Shamshabad municipality were chopped for a length of one kilometre. Multiple trolleys were also found loading and carting away the sliced tree trunks.

When contacted, the Shamshabad municipal officials denied taking up any tree-cutting drive at Chinna Golconda Road, despite scores of old trees being chopped and transported to an undisclosed location. However, they suggested that the tree-cutting drive may be part of a road-widening initiative taken up by the Hyderabad Road Development Corporation Limited (HRDCL) at the Chinna Golconda stretch. Multiple calls to concerned HRDCL officials yielded no response.