HYDERABAD: For the umpteenth time in the past two months, a truck arrived with labour in tow and began chopping down peepal trees outside the CISF complex in Shamshabad. Only, this time, things were different.
The workers said they had permission to carry chop the trees as part of road construction works. When people noticed there was no sign of the trees being translocated, they raised an alarm.
"The peepal trees are protected under the Watla (Water, Land And Tree Act), which necessitates that the trees be translocated. I was shocked to learn that it wasn't happening," said Pritam Raj, one of the activists.
Uday Krishna, another activist, alerted the authorities. "The forest official was quick to act and ordered the stopping of the tree felling immediately. He assured the trees already cut would be translocated," said Krishna.
“I hope the authorities will levy heavy penalties so that the workers don’t repeat the same offence," he said.
The news comes at a time when investigations into the chopping of 78 peltophorum trees along the Hitec City-KPHB route, is on. Two separate incidents of tree felling near the Secunderabad railway station have drawn the ire of green warriors.
