Translocated trees at Cherlapally’s KCR Nandanavanam perish, highlighting neglect

With the possibility of the fully grown trees facing the axe due to imminent road widening, Rajya Sabha member and GIC founder J Santosh Kumar took up the initiative to translocate the trees with the help of VATA Foundation

Nalgonda: Twelve trees, recently translocated to KCR Nandanavanam Urban Park in Cherlapally from Marriguda bypass road to facilitate road widening, have perished. This development points to inadequate maintenance efforts on the part of civic authorities.

With the possibility of the fully grown trees facing the axe due to imminent road widening, Rajya Sabha member and Green India Challenge founder J Santosh Kumar took up the initiative to translocate the trees with the help of VATA Foundation. These 50-year-old trees were translocated to the urban park on April 22 last.

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Nalgonda MLA Kancherla Bhupal Reddy launched the translocation amidst much fanfare, but local officials who showed extreme interest in artificial trees to beautify the town, have completely ignored the task of nurturing the translocated trees.

A team of volunteers of the VATA Foundation volunteers executed the translocation using a 50-ton crane, moving the trees to the park on a flatbed truck. Despite so much effort and the very expensive and painstaking exercise, civic authorities have turned a negligent eye on the translocated trees and sadly within six months, the translocated trees were found dead in the park.

Due to the park remaining closed to the public, only a handful of workers were assigned to maintain the trees, while no dedicated horticulture officer was appointed to oversee their care. This lack of attention led to the failure to preserve any of the translocated trees, underlining official negligence.

Speaking to Telangana Today, Indian Environment Social Forum founder convenor Jeedimetla Ravinder criticized the local representatives and officials for their grand promises at the outset of the translocation in Nalgonda but failing to follow through. He expressed disappointment over the wasted resources and the missed opportunity to demonstrate a commitment to tree conservation.

Attempts to reach the Nalgonda municipal commissioner for comments were unsuccessful, as he was unavailable over phone and also at his office.