Guntur: The people of Guntur city welcomed the innovative initiative of geo-tagging of saplings and sought geo-tagging of all trees on the roadsides to restrain heedless cutting of the trees.
The Guntur Municipal Corporation decided to monitor the growth of saplings on an experimental basis for two years through geo-tagging for the increase of greenery in the city.
The GMC will distribute 30,000 saplings to the house owners under Vanam Manam programme with a geo-tag. The geo-tag based saplings distribution would be conducted on July 29 in which people’s representatives will participate in various colonies of Guntur city.
AP Legislative Assembly Speaker K. Sivaprasada Rao caught wood-cutters felling a big tree on the Guntur-Narasaraopeta road near Phirangipuram on July 8 and handed them over to the police by lodging a complaint seeking stern action against them.
The GMC had cut many trees for the expansion of Peda Palakalur road, Grand Trunk road, Amaravati road, Brindavan Garden road and other roads for the Krishna Pushkaralu. There are allegations that the shop owners are also cutting the trees on the road for displaying of their shops due to the absence of a monitoring system.
Volunteer Environmental Organisation president G. Veerabhadrachari lamented that the GMC planted saplings years ago which became big shady trees, but the traders are cutting those trees for clear display of their shops.
He said that the thinking is very wrong as the people would gather at the tree for shade which would increase the business also.He asserted on the need for geotagging all trees on the roads by the GMC which can curb heedless cutting down of the trees.
Nearly 300 big shady trees planted in the year 1999 were cut down during the expansion of Amaravati road and Gujjangundla in Guntur city recently. Locals B. Srikanth and others said that there is modern technology about replanting the big trees. So, the GMC should not cut the trees as it would take at least 10-15 years for the growing of a big shady tree.
They sought geo-tagging of the trees situated on the roads and public places to restrain heedless elimination of trees. They welcomed the innovative decision of the GMC about monitoring of saplings through geo tagging system.
