`Trees are poems that earth writes upon sky': Hyderabad's nature lovers aghast over burnt trunks at Chevella
The case that the greens in the city filed is at the National Green Tribunal, Chennai. Responding to the complaint, the NHAI assured that only the minimum number of trees will be cut
By Nimisha S Pradeep Published on 30 May 2022 4:27 AM GMT
Hyderabad: Chevella Banyans is again in the news. Nature lovers of Hyderabad have flagged burnt tree trunks and dried leaves on the canopies of the banyans. The most disturbing thing to see was the three banyans were destroyed. They were lying on the ground with their trunks broken.
"We found three types of destruction- one where the trunk was burnt, some with the canopy burnt partially, and three of them completely gone with their trunks broken. We don't know who is behind this but why would people want to do such random things? It's very cruel," said Sadhana Ramachander who had visited Chevella on Friday. The team also surveyed the number of banyans burnt.
Sadhana said one possible way of the banyans catching fire is when people burn the dry grass right under the tree. Due to the wind, sometimes, the tree trunk and canopy also get burnt. "In 2019 also, there were instances of burning the banyans but the destruction is a lot more this time," added Sadhana. Nature lovers filed a complaint at the Chevella Police Station on Saturday. Chevella police in response have assured patrolling in the area.
Meanwhile, currently, the case that the greens in the city filed is at the National Green Tribunal, Chennai. Responding to the complaint, the NHAI assured that only the minimum number of trees will be cut.
In December 2021, a case was filed against NHAI for going ahead with the expansion of National Highway-163 without doing a proper Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). "This 45-km stretch connecting TSTA junction to Manneguda is a very old road, built during the Nizam's rule. There are 1000 banyans and over 9,000 other trees are also very old. The banyans are over 80 years old. If they are cutting these trees and planting new ones, it will take another 80 years for those trees to reach this level. Also, these banyans fall in the ficus species and are called 'keystones' because at every level they help other organisms to flourish," explained B Teja, a nature lover in the city.
"We are not against expansion of the highway. We do agree that there is a lot of traffic congestion in the area. Our request to the NHAI is to do a proper assessment, identify the impact, and devise plans to mitigate the impacts," said Teja.
