Tree-Trimming Debris Angers Residents

Hyderabad: The non‑availability of nearby dumping yards under the limits of the three municipal corporations is the main reason for tree branches being left behind at some locations, TGSPDCL officials said. Residents in several localities, however, are furious over the nuisance caused by branches and leaves left unattended for days after TGSPDCL’s tree‑trimming drives, which are undertaken to prevent short circuits in overhead power lines.

Officials said the trimming work has been entrusted to contractors working under the supervision of discom staff. The staff also reviews the work and takes steps to remove branches during the Praja Bata and Basti Bata programmes. But the lack of dumping sites within a 3–4 km radius is affecting debris clearance at some places. The issue was raised during recent review meetings with municipal and other departments, and civic bodies have been urged to identify nearby dumping sites.

CMD Jitesh V. Patil proposed that the discom would pay municipal bodies if their staff removed tree debris pruned by power staff under the limits of the three corporations. The proposal was made during coordination meetings with the Cyberabad and Malkajgiri municipal corporations. The discom offered to pay if municipal staff tagged and cleared branches in circles where debris was causing inconvenience to the public.

Though the discom says superintending engineers and divisional engineers have been instructed to clear debris whenever it comes to their notice, citizens say the problem continues. They complain that rotting waste is making roads slippery, breeding insects and obstructing traffic.

“The electricity staff cut the branches on a Saturday evening near the temple at KPHB Colony. They said a vehicle would come the next day to collect the debris. But even after four days, the heap is still there. The leaves are rotting, the road is slippery, and stray dogs are tearing the branches apart,” said Harsha Reddy, a graduate living near Kashi Vishwanath Temple in KPHB Colony.

In Dilsukhnagar, the situation was no better. “After the trimming near Hanuman Temple, the branches were dumped right on the footpath. Two‑wheelers are forced to move onto the main road, and during the evening rush it becomes a bottleneck. The wet leaves are also attracting mosquitoes and flies,” complained Kavitha, a homemaker living near Chaitanyapuri X Roads.

Another resident, S. N. Kumar, a two‑wheeler commuter, said: “I nearly skidded on my bike last week because of the wet leaves near the bus stop. When I asked the municipal team, they said it was TGSPDCL’s responsibility to clear the waste. But no one has come.”

TGSPDCL officials, however, said debris is generally cleared on the same day or the following day. Teams have been put on alert to monitor media and social‑media reports and remove debris wherever complaints are received. They said tree pruning to prevent monsoon‑related short circuits is about 80 per cent complete within city limits, and the remaining work will be finished by the end of this month.

For now, residents say they are left to navigate slippery, insect‑infested roads until the debris is finally cleared.