Amidst the concrete jungle of Madhapur, trees are being felled on a private property at Durgam Cheruvu. Residents who noticed bulldozing at a property near the lake, raised concerns over the large-scale felling of trees.
Even if it is a private property, the developer must take permission to cut trees. Suhiem Shiek, a resident of the area, complained, “Huge bulldozing near Durgam Cheruvu is taking place. Loads of trees are being felled apparently for an entertainment centre.”
When this newspaper contacted the management owners of the property, they said that they are only removing the trees that were dumped along with the debris and were not part of the initial ecosystem here. The land of 5.72 guntas in survey numbers 50, 51, 52, 53, 54 belongs to M/s V.K. Projects Pvt Ltd.
A representative of the company said, “We are not removing the naturally grown trees, only those which were grown on the stones are being cleared. The stones are not naturally formed but were dumped by some persons. Due to the trees, the place has been converted into a dump yard, and we wanted to make it more decent as it is an entertainment and eatery zone. We are removing only those trees in the area that are not needed for our use and not clearing any additional property.”
The owner said that no tree which is in height and width above 60 cm is being removed. It may be mentioned here that a tree can only be cut if it endangers life or property and after seeking permission from the district forest officer as per Walta (Water, land and trees Act). The forest officials are required to assess the situation, record the need for axing of a tree in the locality and if the situation warrants felling, the person is supposed to pay a stipulated fee, depending on the value of the tree.
When asked if they had sought permission from government officials to fell the trees, the company representative said, “We are aware of the rules but since we are not removing naturally grown trees that doesn’t apply. Our site was filled with stone and all kinds of debris. We are cautious not to cause problems on naturally grown trees.”
Forest officials rubbished the claim and said the size of the tree and whether it is “naturally” grown or grown on stone is immaterial and a private person has to obtain permission from them to fell trees.
