HYDERABAD: A group of citizens held a poetry session which doubled up as a protest against the proposed felling of over 100-year-old Banyan trees on the Chevella-Moinabad highway here on Sunday.
The trees are to be cleared for a four-laning project by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). These Banyans were reportedly planted by the Nizam himself nearly 100 years ago. According to the citizens, in total, nearly 9,000 trees along with the Banyan trees are at risk. These include the scrub forests of Mudimyal and Kandlapally — home to many grassland species, including the migrating Harriers and the rare Tawny Eagles (listed as ‘vulnerable’ in the IUCN Red List).