We visited both the routes along with senior officials of the forest department, and engineers from the radial roads division of the R & B department. We found that with some imagination and concern for conservation of trees, it is possible to conserve the trees while widening the roads to the prescribed width. These two roads were studied on a sample basis and a successful experiment of widening these stretches without felling the trees could surely be replicated for the remaining 32 radial roads, given the will.

In general our suggested line of action for the Forest department is as follows:

• Where realignment is not feasible, and some trees have to be removed, they may be relocated to a location as proximate to the site as possible. Technology and local expertise is available for such purpose, and a panel of such experts and the rates of payment to them should be finalized without delay.

• Where the above options are not feasible, and only in the rarest of rare cases, can some trees be allowed to be felled. Such trees should, however, exclude trees of native species, such as banyan, tamarind, neem, etc., and may include trees like rain trees, trees recently planted, etc.
• In all cases, where felling is permitted, prior plantation of trees of the matching species, in a location as proximate to the site as possible, must be ensured. Preference should be given to plantation of native trees, fruit bearing trees which attract birds. The maintenance of the new plantations must also be ensured.
• It should be insisted that all project authorities should incorporate the conservation of the existing trees located in their project area/circuit, as an integral part of their project planning, and submit such proposal sufficiently in advance to the Forest department. This should be quite possible, as all projects are conceived much before their actual implementation starts. The position as of now, on the contrary, is that these project authorities approach the Forest department at the last moment which builds pressure upon them to sanction lest a project gets delayed, without examining all other options. In fact, some officials admitted that they had never considered earlier any other options to tree felling.
• Finally, we consider that a committee approach should be adopted for examining applications for felling of trees, and advise the designated implementing official. Such a committee should include experts and concerned NGOs, in addition to the officials.
We are available for any further discussion in the matter.

We found one large tree has been cut, only its bare trunk still remain. The other tree cut was is on the border, close to the wall, and could have been easily spared.

We have already taken up with the State Chief Secretary, and the Conservator of Forests to stop further felling of trees, no fresh permissions to be given for tree cutting by any department, and permissions already given will not be acted upon. The GHMC Commissioner, in response to our request, has suspended all tree cutting earlier permitted till all cases are re-examined. The response from the Chief Secretary and the Chief Conservator of Forests is awaited. There are still some more large trees in the compound. We request you stop cutting of further trees in the compound and either ask the builder to plan construction by skirting around the trees, or transfer the trees to another location inside the compound, irrespective of cost. Please also rescind/ suspend permission, if any, already given for cutting of trees in that compound, till our requests to the State Chief Secretary, and the Conservator of Forests are disposed of. You may please defer the matter because a tree once lost is lost forever.

Please also advise us what alternative compensatory plantations have been made or are proposed to be made in lieu of the trees cut in the compound; whether the species , the size, and the carbon-absorbing capacity of the compensatory plantations match the trees cut. Please also advise us where the compensatory plantations are being made, whether they will be proximate to the location of the trees felled.

We trust you will appreciate our point of view and save these trees. We are available for any discussion.

The felling happened allegedly at the request of the US Consulate for security reasons. While the authorities are very well aware that consulate will be housed in the heritage structure of Paigah Palace temporarily and will move to Gachibowli in the near future, they have granted permission for the felling of trees without batting an eyelid. The GHMC sought permission and the forest authorities cordially and readily granted it.

The banyan tree, which has immense carbon-absorbing capacity, stood as a characteristic landmark, a symbol of life at the location. Sadly, the authorities have obviously failed to explore other options, such as relocating the tree, or skirting around just a little bit to widen a road as they do in the case of a religious structure.

One wonders whether the US authorities would have either sought or granted permission to touch a branch, leave alone a 200-year-old tree, in their own country, under any circumstances.

Earlier, a large number of trees, running into tens of thousands, were cut off in various parts of the city, such as Jubilee Hills, Banjara Hills, Begumpet, Rajendranagar, etc., for road widening, for activities by various wings of the government and also by builders, with or without proper permission. Once again, without consulting any experts or examining any other option, because it is evident there WERE alternatives

It has also happened in several cases that trees have been planted after a road widening, and after some time, these trees were felled due to a further road widening. This adhocism and lack of advanced planning for a sufficiently long term must stop.

Problem Areas

There is a definite absence of proper co-ordination among the regulatory authorities for these activities so that roads are being dug again and again, widened and re-widened, divider on roads created and then removed, trees are planted and then uprooted again.

Similarly, enforcement is hopelessly lacking by GHMC/HUDA/SCB so that building regulations are violated invariably, specially by those who have money power and political dadas. There is no hope for a minimum quality of life.

How About Action Before It is Too Late?

Hyderabad is fast losing its green cover and the quality of the environment, which should cause concern, specially in the context of global warming, to one and all. Wide roads, glittering malls, multi-storied apartments, huge cars, are not going to save lives when water sources are choked, greenery is obliterated and there is no clean air to breathe! Paupers and the rich will be equally devastated in such a setting.

All these are happening because of lack of advanced planning, and for not adopting a model of sustainable development. A model that, on the one hand, develops infrastructure and, on the other, promotes environment in the affected areas!

Our Constructive Suggestions

We, alongwith several concerned persons and organizations, have applied our minds and have the following suggestions to make with regard to the conservation of trees in and around Hyderabad.

• Simultaneous Project and Tree Planning: An advanced planning for conservation of trees that would interfere with the projects of various departments/agencies of the government (such as those for road widening, flyovers, metro rail project, BRTS, laying of telephone lines, electricity cables, water/sewerage pipes, high rise and commercial buildings, R&B, underground cables) should be made at the same time when these projects are planned. These plans and projects can be identified from a careful study of the master plans of HUDA, GHMC, HMDA, SCB, etc.

• Felling of a tree must be a last resort. Alternatives such as transplanting to another location, irrespective of cost, culturing from its branches ( as possible with a banyan tree), which practice is adopted in other cities like Mumbai, Pune, Thane, etc; skirting a road around a tree, as done for sensitive religious structures, must be considered first.

• Study of Alternatives Imperative: At present, application for cutting a tree is made at a very junior level of a department. Permission for cutting a tree is given liberally by the forest authorities, and such sanction is given at a lower level of authority, e.g., a forest ranger. Accordingly, proper screening is not done, alternative options are not called for, nor examined and it becomes easier for vested interests to exercise pressure for permission. We suggest, a decision to apply for permission to cut a tree, and a decision to grant permission to cut a tree, be taken at a sufficiently high level of the concerned authority.

All alternative options should be called for and
examined. Further, a committee or committees at different levels/depending on the gravity of a decision, be appointed with participation from appropriate civil society organizations in sufficient strength, to examine a request for a tree-cutting – this will reduce the effect of pressure by vested interests. The decision-making should also be recorded for scrutiny by a higher level authority.

• Freeze permissions for Review: Pending the finalization and adoption of a suitable procedure on the suggested lines, all existing permissions given for tree-cutting by different departments be frozen. GHMC commissioner has already issued instructions to freeze sanctions received/given by it for cutting of a tree in its jurisdictional area. Suitable instructions to this effect may be issued under your authority to all other departments concerned of the government and other bodies regulated by the government, such as: HUDA, HADA, SCB, HMDA, MAUD, panchayats, all municipalities in the state, etc .This may delay a developmental activity, but the alternative is to lose a tree forever. A letter from Commissioner, GHMC, and the other above bodies to all field functionaries should be issued to coordinate with Residents’ Welfare Associations, and other appropriate forums that may be formed to save trees.

• Open Declaration of Statistics: Information on the number of trees cut, the departments cutting such trees, the compensatory plantations made as required under WALTA, should be published, starting from a given year, so as to check the matching of plantations with the trees felled, in terms of the number, age, species, survival for more than three years, of the plantations, and the proximity of their locations to the locations of the felled trees.

• Effect of METRO project on trees – needs to be spelt out and informed to public prior to project launch

• Underground cables to replace overhead cables so that trees do not have to be cut.

• Police/ other authorities may be instructed to officially back the vigilance of trees by citizens.

• People’s role in New Plantation: To plant/nurture trees – to be made mandatory in new localities, institutions, corporate offices, public/private buildings, along the roads, in parks, SEZs, MNCs, private layouts etc

Address:
”Chandram” 490, St.No.11,
Himayathnagar, Hyderabad

FORUM FOR A BETTER HYDERABAD has come to know that the tree-felling has been taken up to widen the road from Indra Reddy statue to Himayatsagar. The exact location is on the left side of the road from the Indra Reddy statue junction to the Rajendra Nagar police station. The works are taken up by the Roads and Buildings department with the permission of the Forest Department. The chopping is carried out by a contractor and it is clear that there are at least 20 more trees under threat immediately. The Forum for a Better Hyderabad team went for a site inspection and noted with distress that so far seven huge Banyan Trees, at least more than hundred years old each, have been chopped mercilessly and even burnt from the roots so that there is no hope left for their sprouting leaves again.

It is deplorable that the forest department has given the necessary permission to cut the trees. This belies the very purpose of its existence – which is the protection of tree cover. When the Tree, land and water act was passed, its purpose was to apply utmost scrutiny to any cutting of tree, to ensure that a cutting takes place when all options are exhausted, and in such cases, to ensure compensatory plantation of 3 saplings per each tree cut. Purposively, such authority was vested in the forest department. All these rules and the intention of the ACT have been violated by the total non-application of mind by the concerned forest authorities.

In the first place, widening of the road from Indra Reddy statue to Himayatsagar was not necessary as the existing width of the road is quite sufficient for vehicular traffic. Further, there is land available on the right side of the road, belonging to the University and could easily have been acquired to make a double lane with the trees forming a central divider. And the road would have been a beautiful, shady, tree-lined avenue. The forest department should not have given permission to cut the trees, unless these options and other options were examined by the authorities seeking permission.

In a rather similar situation, concerning the Banyan Tree outside the US Consulate, the GHMC Commissioner responded promptly and definitely, issuing significant orders stopping tree felling within the limits of GHMC. Though GHMC is not involved here but the R and B dept. is felling the trees in the limits of GHMC. It is our hope that the R and B, the Forest Department and the Ranga Reddy district administration will respond similarly like GHMC by taking a positive action to save our city.

FBH and the Civil Societies of Hyderabad further demand from the forest department that :
• Further felling of trees along the route be stopped immediately by issuing a blanket ban on felling of any tree
• The procedure for giving permission be streamlined, the discretion to give permission be vested in sufficiently high authorities in the forest department and any extraneous pressure to extract permission be firmly resisted. The process of taking a decision be minuted, with all facts.
• Locality-wise committees be formed with citizen’s groups to scrutinize any request for felling of a tree. In every case, all alternative options to save a tree must be explored. As a rule, a tree, when it needs removal, must be relocated rather than felled, as is happening in Mumbai, etc. Technology is available and the cost of relocating should be of no concern for saving a tree.
• Large, old trees which have large carbon-absorbing capacity, e.g., a banyan tree, have to be treated on a separate footing, and compensatory plantation ( 3 to 1) cannot compensate the cutting of such trees. This must be kept in mind.
• Compensatory plantation must be near to the site where a tree is cut, and must match the type, size of a felled tree.
• Forest department must demand from the authorities connected with road widening, metro project , drainage, laying of cables, etc, i.e., which may affect the existing trees, to advise their plans sufficiently in advance to the forest department so that the latter can plan relocation of trees, replacement where necessary of trees of the same species, same size, etc