Hyderabad: The Telangana State Road Transport has reportedly removed a large number of trees in the Kachiguda depot, in flagrant violation of the Telangana Water, Land and Trees Act, 2002.
According to a report in The Hindu, nearly 30 trees of various species, including teak, neam, and other trees, have been axed on the depot premises without obtaining permission from the Forest Department or tree protection committee as required by the rule of law.
Sources alleged that the logs were stored in a dilapidated government building and later sold off. However, refuting the claims depot manager T Raghu said only a few branches of some trees were felled as they posed ‘threat to the walls of the depot’. He added that decision was taken after the matter was discussed by the committee with all the department heads.
When asked about a social media post that showed the video clip of the trees being transported, the depot manager said permission was taken from the Forest Department, which was displayed on a notice board. The Forest Department had issued challans worth Rs 25,000 for the felling of branches, he added.
