HYDERABAD: While indiscriminate felling of trees is being blamed for the rise in temperature and heat wave conditions prevailing in the region, the city is fast losing its green cover in the name of development.
As part of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s (GHMC) Strategic Road Development Project (SRDP), the authorities have decided to chop down hundreds of trees around the KBR National Park at Jubilee Hills.
Though it is a known fact that planting saplings is no substitute to big trees and destruction of natural ecology, the authorities have submitted a proposal to plant three-foot tall saplings in the KBR Park to compensate the loss of green cover.
Protesting the move to strip the city of its remaining green cover, green activists are planning to launch a Chipko Movement, where they would tie scarfs or sarees to the trees marked for felling in the HMDA’s walkway.
Meanwhile, district forest officer (DFO) of Hyderabad Wildlife Management, V Venkatewshwara Rao, said they have submitted a proposal to plant 3,000 saplings in KBR National Park, and Mrugavani National Park.
According to the DFO, trees which can withstand even the harshest summer such as Banyan, Peepal, Neem, etc. would be planted in the two national parks. We would start planting the saplings from July onwards he added. “The trees would be bought from Social Forestry division or we will purchase them,” added Venkateshwar Rao.