The street in Kukatpally after the tree was removed.
The role of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in the translocation of a fully grown neem tree near a high profile shopping mall in Kukatpally in peak summer is raising many an eyebrow.
The tree, which stood near Lulu Mall in Kukatpally, was translocated to a park around three days ago, but the incident came to light after an ‘X’ user made a post about it.
Decrying the removal of the tree from the street, the user, N.S. Kiran Kumar Gupta, said despite the extreme heat, trees were being removed for corporate gains. The post went viral, forcing the GHMC to respond.
The Deputy Director of Urban Biodiversity in Kukatpally responded under the post, saying that the translocated tree was healthy and that it was being watered regularly.
‘Not ideal season’
P. Uday Krishna from Vata Foundation, whom Lulu Mall representatives initially approached for the translocation, said he refused to do the job because peak summer is not the ideal season for translocation and also because he was not sure if it had the Forest department’s permission. “Trees are not furniture to be shifted as we please. There should be a proper reason ... for the translocation, which is totally absent in this case,” he said.
He said neem trees are very sensitive and need utmost care in translocation. “They have a tap root, and if the root tip is broken, they will not survive. A root ball has to be prepared, which cannot be done in summer owing to the dry weather,” Mr. Uday Krishna explained.
A Lulu Mall manager, seeking anonymity, confirmed that the translocation was done overnight by them. Pictures show that the branches were pruned and that the tree was simply uprooted and transplanted without any preparation.
District Forest Officer of Medchal-Malkajgiri M. Janakiram said the endeavour was exempted from the Forest permissions as the tree was on GHMC road margins. “We received a ‘no objection letter’ from GHMC, which is all we need in such cases,” he said.
A letter from Zonal Commissioner Abhilasha Abhinav cited a request forwarded from the Circle Manager, Kukatpally Zone, and shows the permission for the tree’s translocation to Nandanavanam Park, Shilpa Avenue Colony, Moosapet, at the cost of the applicant.
