Trees cut in Himayatnagar, complaint filed with forest officer

HYDERABAD: SCH Rangayya, founder-president of Environment Protection Development Council, has lodged a complaint with the Hyderabad district forest officer over the cutting of trees in Himayatnagar division.

In his complaint at the Aranya Bhavan office of district forest officer Srinivas, Rangayya said several large trees on the footpath near Niloufer Café and 1st Street, Himayatnagar, had recently disappeared after being cut down.

“These trees provided greenery and clean air in the area. Media reports also suggest that some more trees were felled illegally,” he said. He added that the incident not only posed an environmental risk but was also a violation of the Telangana Preservation of Trees and Urban Areas Tree Plantation Act, 2015 (WALTA).

Demand for strict action under WALTA

Rangayya urged the forest department to intervene immediately, conduct an inquiry and take strict action against those responsible under WALTA to prevent such incidents in future.

He criticised the indifference of officials, saying repeated instances of tree felling were happening due to their negligence. He also demanded that higher authorities review the role of ground-level officers in monitoring tree protection.

Call for probe into chemical damage

Rangayya further pointed out media reports that several trees in Himayatnagar had dried up due to chemical use. He demanded that officials conduct an inquiry and act against those responsible.