Over 30% of the trees lining the elevated corridor stretches marked for felling
Felling permission has been given by the Tree Protection Committee under the Forest department for a total 3,298 trees, HMDA Director, Urban Forestry, K. Srinivas informed. These constitute more than 30% of the total number of trees on both the stretches, estimated by the Tree Protection Committee to be 10,593. Translocation has been advised for 4,230 trees and 3,095 trees are to be retained.
Two locations have been identified for translocation of the identified trees — Nehru Zoological Park and the Telangana Sports School at Hakimpet. Majority of the trees, 9,100 belonging to 90 different species, have been enumerated on the Shamirpet stretch and the Dairy Farm stretch housed 1,493 trees.
While the Shamirpet stretch is predominantly lined by Subabul (2,244), Gulmohar (1184) and Eucalyptus (333), a sizeable number were also species such as Neem (675), Pongamia (321), and Ashoka (321). Peltrophorum, Sissoo and others too were in good numbers.
'Tree Protection Committee members inspected all the trees, taken note of the height, girth and the status of the tree, before deciding which tree to retain and which to fell,' the official informed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
16 hours ago
- Indian Express
Bijwasan Railway Project awaits forest dept clearance: Construction activity on deemed forest land has damaged 91 trees, NGT told
Clearing of land coupled with construction activity on deemed forest land at Dwarka's Bijwasan Railway Project site, without prior approval, has damaged 91 trees, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday. The project, which includes expansion of a Northern Railway coaching and freight terminal, has been pending forest clearance from the Centre. In the submission filed in a plea moved by Dwarka resident Naveen Solanki against the Rail Land Development Authority, the MoEFCC said the Delhi government had submitted a proposal to divert 6.202 hectares of deemed forest land for the project through the Parivesh online portal. However, the Regional Empowered Committee (REC), flagging multiple deficiencies, including the lack of a certified area calculation and geo-referenced maps, had recommended a consolidated compensatory afforestation plan in February. 'Satellite imagery suggested that construction had already begun on the site,' the affidavit noted. A site inspection by the Deputy Chief Conservator of Forests (West) on April 1 has confirmed that 1.69 hectares (4.2 acres) of land had been broken up and 91 trees — including Safeda, Shisham, Neem, Bakain, Pilkhan, and Subabul — had been damaged without clearance under the Forest (Conservation) Act,1980. The Ministry also underlined that while the Delhi government's proposal is still under review, any non-forest activity on forest land requires prior approval from the Centre under Section 2 of the Forest (Conservation) Act. It stressed that a 2020 MoEFCC clarification exempting commercial railway projects from environmental clearance under the EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) Notification, 2006, does not override the requirement for forest clearance if the land is classified as forest. The REC had earlier directed the Divisional Forest Officer to conduct a fresh site inspection and submit a report as it said that any violation would invoke action under the Indian Forest Act, 1927, and the Forest (Conservation) Act,1980. The Ministry noted that its queries regarding the proposal, including unclear cadastral maps and an incomplete muck disposal plan, were still pending with the Delhi government, due to which the final approval has been delayed.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Mahavira sculpture unearthed in Pudukkottai
Pudukkottai: Archaeology enthusiasts claim to have discovered a Mahavira sculpture near Avudaiyarkoil in Pudukkottai district, which they believe dates to the Chola period. The stone image, found buried under shrubs near the Vellalavayal Subramaniyar Temple at Arimalam, measures 124 cm in height and 72 cm in width. The team says it may belong to the 9th–10th century CE. "It depicts Mahavira in meditation on a lion throne flanked by three lions, with a pedestal carried by mythical Yali and topped with Makara motifs. The halo, triple umbrella, and Ashoka tree carvings reflect the refinement of early Chola artistry," said A Manikandan, founder of the Pudukkottai Archaeological Research Forum and researcher at Tamil University, Thanjavur. The forum, which has been documenting Jain relics in the region since 2016, said the find adds to Pudukkottai's Jain heritage. Scholar Dr Jambulingam, who inspected the site, offered guidance to the team. Manikandan said the state archaeology department and the ministry have been notified. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
India Today
2 days ago
- India Today
Ashoka's 2,281-year-old edict in Bihar still under shared custody after 108 years
More than a century after Emperor Ashoka's Minor Rock Edict on Chandan Sahid Hill in Bihar's Rohtas district was declared a protected monument, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) still does not have full possession of the replies accessed by India Today in March 2023 and August 2025 reveal that, despite being declared protected on December 1, 1917, the 2,281-year-old inscription remains under shared custody between the ASI and local Muslim ASI confirmed in its RTI response: "Ashoka's inscription on the Chandan Sahid Hill, District Rohtas, was declared a protected monumentvide notification no. 1814 E, dated 01.12.1917." Yet, even today, the agency acknowledges that it is only a partial custodian, compelled to share inscription, dating back to 257 BCE in Ashoka's 13th regnal year, consists of eight lines in archaic Brahmi script, though a portion is ASI described it as a priceless record of India's ancient past, noting that it "probably contains a date referring to the death of Buddha; but no convincing interpretation of it has yet been found."Religious appropriation of the site, however, predates official protection. The Bihar and Orissa District Gazetteer, Shahabad (1924) recorded that local Muslims revered the cave as "Chiragdan" or the "Lamp of Saint Chandan Pir", after the dargah on the ASI reiterated in its RTI reply that "the hill where the inscription is found appears to have been appropriated later on by the Mohammedans".In November 2022, after decades of negotiations, the Mazar Committee formally handed over one key of the locked cave to the ASI's Sasaram the arrangement of dual control continues. The 2025 RTI response confirmed: "The keys of the entry gate of CPM 'Ashokan inscription at Chandan Sahid hill' are in the possession of two institutions, one with the ASI, and another with Mr. G.M. Ansari of the Sher Shah Suri Trust, Sasaram."Speaking to India Today, GM Ansari of the Mazar Committee said, "Whenever tourists come, we cooperate and open the gate. But this is also the shrine of Chandan Pir Baba, since the time of Bakhtiyar Khilji. That is why the hill is known as Chandan Pir Hill."He added that while the Committee facilitates entry, "since the time of Bakhtiyar Khilji, the shrine of Rehmatullah Aaleh Chandan Pir Baba has stood here," tying the site to centuries of religious also claimed that day-to-day upkeep largely falls to the Mazar Committee and local administration, alleging that ASI staff "do nothing" on the only we had the key. Later, after pressure, one key was given to the ASI. Now, tourists can see the site through either of us," he said, adding that records show ASI guards were appointed as far back as 1960 but "rarely seen" until after District Tourism Officer Vinay Pratap, however, maintained that responsibility lies with the ASI: "The protection and management of Ashoka's inscription rests with ASI. Two staff are posted here to show the monument to visitors and coordinate with researchers."Preservation also remains in limbo. In 2023, the ASI's Patna Circle and Science Branch found lime plaster damage and planned in its 2025 reply, the Circle admitted: "Damage assessment records are not available with this Circle. The same are maintained separately by the Science Branch."The ASI insists the site is open to the public, but entry depends on the dual-key arrangement, requiring cooperation from both sides. Visitors, researchers, and pilgrims alike remain reliant on whether the ASI or the Mazar Committee unlocks the gate.- Ends
