Notwithstanding the State government’s ambitious massive tree plantation programme ‘Harita Haaram’ from the coming rainy season, the Roads and Buildings authorities have been resorting to destruction of huge and fully grown trees.
The State government had sanctioned Rs. 46 crore for beautification of roads in the town to the R&B Department and it was decided to widen the roads to 100 feet.
The first casualty of such a decision turned out to be the trees, and illogically, even trees which were not obstructing road widening works were removed by the authorities. Incidentally, fully grown trees which were planted during the ‘Harita Haaram’ programme taken up by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao when he was Karimnagar MP in 2004 were also removed.
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Municipal authorities said the R&B authorities have neither consulted them nor coordinated with the municipal engineers about the removal of trees. The R&B authorities have auctioned the felled trees on their own without the knowledge of other departments.
Environmentalists say the tree felling started when Smita Sabharwal was the Collector. The district administration had cut a huge tree on the Collectorate premises for erection of a new gate.
A business family here had set an example by relocating a huge tree from their premises in the year 2011. But, the district authorities were mercilessly chopping off trees, they complained. Instead of planting a sapling or two, it is better to relocate a fully grown tree, they opined.
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Gugilla Jayashree, president of Dharitri Foundation , a voluntary organisation, criticised the district authorities for the mindless chopping down of trees and alleged they were working against the State government’s policy of ‘Harita Haaram’ and destroying nature.
Senior citizen and resident of Vavilalapalli, N. Srinivas threatened to move court against the administration for causing environmental degradation.