Padayatra to save Chevella banyans flagged off in Warangal

Hyderabad: With the expansion works of National Highway 163 set to begin soon, the Nature Lovers of Hyderabad, which has been running the Save Chevella Banyans campaign, on Monday launched a padayatra to save the trees. The padayatra was flagged off by writer and Sahitya Akademi Award winner Dr. Ampasayya Naveen.

The padayatra from Warangal to Hyderabad aims to draw the attention of the people towards the issue of nearly 700 banyan trees that are at risk of the proposed widening of NH-163 from Mrugavani National Park to Manneguda.

Social activist and environmentalist Desham Kosam Prakash also joined the padayatra. Prakash said the banyans of Chevella are part of the natural heritage of Telangana and all nature lovers should unite and request the authorities to save them.

The padayatra is expected to reach the outskirts of Hyderabad on 5 January.

Meeting with NHAI

On 23 December 2022, the members of the Nature Lovers of Hyderabad met a group of about 10 people from NHAI. The group included P. Nageswara Rao, general manager (tech) and PD, NHAI; Sriram Murthy, contractor; and Vijay Kumar, consultant to NHAI.

According to sources, at the meeting, the NHAI representatives said there would be 20 flyovers over a 46-km stretch, each flanked by service roads, to avoid the existing villages/habitations along the current road. A total of 705 Chevella banyans are to be translocated for the construction of the highway. The Nature Lovers say that this number is in addition to thousands of other trees that will also be removed in addition to the banyans.

"According to the NHAI representatives, 550 trees are to be translocated—much higher than the original number of 439 that had been given in an earlier meeting with the Nature Lovers group. This number does not include banyans along Mudimyal and Kandlapally that are under the jurisdiction of the forest department. If these are included, the total number of banyans lost will be about 705," explained members of the Nature Lovers group.

Further, they said that just 209 trees would be untouched, i.e., less than 23% of the Chevella banyans will remain.

At the meeting, the NHAI indicated that the removal of trees will start once the Tree Protection Committee/forest department permissions come through. The members of the Nature Lovers of Hyderabad fear that despite a petition pending in the National Green Tribunal, the NHAI would not wait for the verdict and start work, which they said would nullify the entire judicial process.