HYDERABAD: As the National Green Tribunal (NGT) clears the long-pending expansion of the Hyderabad–Warangal highway through the Chevella banyan stretch, attention has turned to the “years of delay” that stalled one of Telangana’s most crucial infrastructure projects. While the verdict is being celebrated as a win for environmental activism, conservationists and locals say it comes “too late, at too high a cost”.
An environmentalist who has been tracking the issue since 2019 told TNIE on condition of anonymity, “If this plan were acceptable now, it could have been done six years ago. Hundreds of people have died in accidents on that narrow stretch while the case dragged on. What do we tell the father who lost three daughters recently in a crash? That we fought for six years and saved a few trees?”
However, a petitioner, who also requested anonymity, clarified that the intent was never to halt development but to ensure that the project followed environmental norms and preserved the iconic banyans wherever possible.
“The delay was entirely due to NHAI’s refusal to redesign the project,” she said. “We’ve been saying for years that the road can be widened without cutting trees. If NHAI had incorporated the banyans into the design back then, the road would have been finished long ago.” She added that the new design, achieved after two NGT judgments and extensive consultations, now integrates the banyans into the road layout.
The NH-163 case has been among Telangana’s most contentious environmental disputes, balancing the demand for safer, wider roads against the preservation of century-old trees forming a green canopy along the Chevella stretch. The NGT bench sought to strike a balance by mandating compensatory afforestation, minimal pruning, wildlife underpasses and continuous monitoring by an independent committee comprising officials and local citizens.
For many residents, however, the delay remains a painful reminder of lost time and lives. The road has seen multiple fatal accidents over the years, leaving deep frustration among daily commuters. “We have saved some trees, yes, but at what cost? Development delayed is development denied, and it shouldn’t take six years and so many lives to reach a compromise everyone could have accepted in the first place,” the environmentalist added.