Nallagandla locals stop tree-felling
Residents were not invited for meet on road widening
● RESIDENTS SAY that they have requested the officials to have an online interface with local residents to understand and address proposals.
● TREE-CUTTING along the Nallagandla-Tellapur Road was halted in November 2019, after locals opposed the tree-felling.
Relief from the ecological genocide in Nallagandla-Tellapur which began late last year for roadwidening in which dozens of trees were felled, was short-lived, as people wielding axes started taking trees down in the area on Wednesday.
“A few motorists who were driving through the area informed us about the tree-felling. Fortunately, we were in time to stop them from doing any further damage. They had marked a total of 44 trees for felling,” said Tejaswi, a resident of the area.
Tree-cutting along the Nallagandla-Tellapur Road was halted in November 2019, after locals opposed the tree-felling.
“Despite multiple promises made by concerned officials that they would consult the local residents for their representation on the issue, none of them were invited to the tree protection committee meeting held on January 23, this year. In the past, we have given representations asking for taking local representation into account, following the water, land and trees act (WALTA) guidelines, ensuring a mechanism for coordination between different user agencies. But somehow the government seems to be driven by certain interests that seldom respect democratic processes and holistic development,” she added.
Residents now say that they have requested the officials to have an online interface with local residents to understand and address immediate proposals. “We are also inviting ecological and development experts to contribute to the Nallagandla residents’ representation,” she said.