Vijayawada: More trees will be axed down in Vijayawada city for the storm water drainage project. Though there was no official estimate on how many trees will face the axe, the L & T Company has made a request to the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation and forest department for cooperation and coordination in felling the trees. The storm water drainage project was divided into seven basins and works started only in the second and fifth basins. The public health department officials ide-ntified that in Nirmala Convent Road, Stella Coll-ege Road, RTC Colony, P&T Colony, Krishnaveni College Road, Darsipeta, Krishnalanka, Sivasan-karapuram, Bramaram-bapuram areas which fall under 6th, 8th and 18th divisions, trees have to be felled to fall along alignment of the works.
Further 129 roads have to be widened across the city to facilitate the storm water drain works. The road-widening will also have its impact on the trees. Also, the major drain length has now been increased from the earlier proposal of 142km to 357km according to the comprehensive design plan. Once the works get started in all basins more and more trees are likely to be felled in the city.
The VMC officials do not have any estimate as of now on how many trees are going to be affected. Additional director horticulture Pradeep Kumar said that as the public health department takes up the works, they would have to come up with the details of trees which come along the alignment of the drain network. “Once they submit the details, we will take a decision on whether to remove the trees or to make alternatives,” he said.
VMC commissioner G. Veerapandian said they were actually planning to bring the machinery to relocate the trees but no one was interested to come to Vijayawada. He also said the VMC is now planning to plant big trees instead of saplings for every tree lost in the city. The Pinnamaneni Polyclinic Road will be decorated with arch-like trees on both sides once the storm water drain works are finished, he said.
