HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court has taken cognisance of a PIL filed by the VATA Foundation (NGO) regarding the unauthorised felling of trees for the construction of a flyover in KPHB.
The high court issued notices to the principal secretary of Forest, Environment, Science and Technology department, principal chief conservator of forests, GHMC commissioner, Manikonda municipality commissioner and Manikonda sarpanch. These officials have been directed to respond to the notices within four weeks, providing reasons for their failure to protect 100 fully grown trees despite efforts made by the petitioner to translocate them at no cost.
The PIL, represented by VATA Foundation’s founder Uday Krishna Peddireddi, alleged inaction of GHMC and Manikonda municipality in safeguarding the greenery in the area. The trees, marked to be cut for the flyover construction between Jawaharlal Technological University (JNTU) and KPHB, were subject to unauthorised felling.
Despite the petitioner’s efforts to obtain permission from GHMC to translocate the trees for free, and the mobilisation of resources including volunteers, JCBs, cranes, and trucks, only 70 out of the 100 trees were successfully translocated. Forty of these translocated trees were later axed without necessary permissions to make way for a cricket ground near the Manikonda graveyard.