Over 400 trees axed in Armoor to clear space for advertisements

Over 400 mature trees along a 3-km divider in Armoor were cut down allegedly to install advertisement hoardings, sparking public outrage. BRS leader A. Jeevan Reddy blamed municipal officials for permitting mass felling without approvals and demanded criminal action against those responsible.

Nizamabad: More than 400 fully grown trees along a three-kilometre divider were cut down to make way for advertisement boards, triggering widespread condemnation from residents and environmental groups in Armoor town.

The trees which were planted a decade ago under the Haritha Haram programme, had matured into full shade canopies, serving both as green cover and as a safety barrier by reducing headlight glare on the busy Armoor-Nizamabad road that connects to the Nagpur highway. According to locals, their sudden removal has scarred the town’s landscape and undone years of afforestation efforts.

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During the “Namasthe Armoor” programme on Wednesday, BRS leader and former MLA A Jeevan Reddy lashed out at municipal officials for allowing the large-scale felling without mandatory permissions from the Collector or the Forest department. He alleged that the trees were cleared solely to facilitate the installation of commercial hoardings. He demanded for immediate restoration of the greenary along the median.

He said officials were acting under political pressure and questioned how such a massive exercise was executed overnight without public consultation. He said Armoor’s Congress in-charge Podduturi Vinay Kumar Reddy had pushed for the removal to benefit a crony contractor. He demanded that the district administration immediately intervene and register a criminal case against the perpetrators.