Hyderabad: The decision of the Wildlife Board to allow six multi grade flyovers at KBR Park was based on a previous decision taken by the tree protection committee, an official said on Saturday.
Chief conservator of forests P.K. Jha said, “The Wildlife Board has okayed the old decision of the Tree Protection Committee permitting the GHMC to fell 1,394 trees outside the KBR Park. The NGT had upheld the decision on May 24, 2017.”
He said “not even one tree” would be touched inside the park.
“The GHMC also gave a commitment to retain the walking track but perhaps realign it at certain points. All the trees to be felled are 15 to 18 years old, and most of them are exotic species. It was decided to plan three times more trees within the 3-km radius of the park,” he said.
He said a 2015 study showed that 2.5 lakh vehicles pass through the KBR Park junctions every day. This would increase to 5.5 lakh per day by 2035.
“In 2015, around 107 tonnes of cabrondioxide was released by these vehicles. If the SRDP flyovers were built and signal free traffic allowed, pollution would have been 46 tonnes per day at that point of time, a 55 per cent reduction,” Mr Jha said.
The projected figure of CO2 emissions without intervention with 5.5 lakh vehicles by 2035 would be 450 tonnes per day. “With flyovers it would come down to 124 tonnes, almost the same as today, even after 20 years,” he said.
The 1.394 trees which are facing the axe are estimated to absorb 3 to 3.5 tonnes of carbon. “Even if the trees are cut due to SRDP we will be saving 55 tonnes of carbon (due to smooth movement of traffic). It is almost a 10-time reduction,” he said.
He said the NGT had recorded these observations and endorsed the Tree Protection Commit-tee decision.
The initial draft specifying an eco sensitive zone of 25 to 35 metres lapsed on June as it was not finalised due to an NGT stay. The Centre has stated that even in eco-sensitive zones, restricted activity like tree felling should be cleared by the PCCF and no clearance is need as it doesn’t fall under the Environment Protection Act.
The NGT had said that if the Centre decides the eco sensitive zone at 25-35 metres, permission of the National Wildlife Board permission is required. GHMC kept it at zero metres on the lines of Guindy national park in Chennai. Now the GHMC has agreed for 3 metres to 26 metres. At places like Basavatarakam Cancer Hospital and Agrasen statute it is only 3 metres,” he said.
