Sainikpuri: Lush canopies being mercilessly hacked by power department workers

Local residents and shop owners said the workers from the electrical department on Wednesday arrived without any prior notice to fully hack the trees till their trunks.

Hyderabad: In the name of trimming branches that obstruct utility lines, a large number of fully grown trees with lush canopies that provide ample shade at Eshwaripuri Colony, Sainikpuri and colonies along the Hi-Tension road, were mercilessly hacked by field level workers from the power department.

Local residents and shop owners, who had spent years in rearing the saplings into fully grown trees, said the workers from the electrical department on Wednesday arrived without any prior notice to fully hack the trees till their trunks. However, faced by the angry protests from the residents and the nearby commercial establishments, the workers relented and chopped-off the tree branches.

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“This is not trimming or pruning but hacking the trees and killing them. How can be the power department authorities are so irresponsible? A few months ago, similar incident happened in the colony when power department workers on the pretext of pruning, chopped-off entire trees. We had to physically intervene and literally fight with the workers to stop them from cutting down trees here,” says senior lawyer and local resident KRG Reddy.

For half a kilometer on one side of the Hi-Tension road, which acts as a lifeline connecting colonies to ECIL crossroads and Dr AS Rao Nagar main road, the trees were hacked in a similar way. The entire stretch has become a depressing sight, as huge tree branches that were hacked, were left behind.

“The behavior of the workers was quite gruff. Earlier, they used to bring axe and focus only on specific branches that hindered power lines. However, these days, the electricity department has armed them with mechanical saws, which has made them lazy. Without even thinking of tripping some branches, they are straightaway gunning to cut the tree from the trunk. How is this going to help anybody?” asked Ashok, the local trader here.

Another resident living near Nandini Hospital at Hi-Tension Road, Ch Sastry pointed out that municipal and power department workers must be properly briefed and trained on tree pruning.

“A month ago, trees on both the sides of the busy Katta Maisamma main road that leads to several gated communities here were also hacked in a similar fashion. There is a definite need for municipal and electricity department officials to properly brief the field level workers,” he said.