Hyderabad, July 6 (IANS) Tree felling on the campus of the Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University here ahead of the launch of the plantation programme by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy sparked a row, but the university authorities clarified that trees harmful to the environment are being removed as part of the ongoing drive to make space for new and valuable plantations.

A section of students alleged that earthmovers were deployed on Saturday night to fell trees on campus in preparation for Vana Mahotsavam, a plantation programme scheduled by launched by the Chief Minister on Monday.

Videos of students questioning police officials and pointing to the presence of heavy machinery were shared on social media. The students questioned the removal of existing trees to plant new ones.

The university authorities, however, termed the reports on social media as “false” and “misleading”.

PJTAU Vice-Chancellor Prof Aldas Janaiah clarified removal of subabul and eucalyptus trees in 150 acres as part of the greenery development initiative on the campus was taken up by the university through a formal auction process, awarded to ITC.

He said in a statement that these tree species have been found to harm the environment by depleting groundwater and damaging soil health. He clarified that the removal of these trees is part of a programme that has been ongoing for the past month, and appealed to people and environmentalists not to believe the false news on social media.

In May, the university had approved the auctioning of 521 eucalyptus and 3,000 subabul trees present on four different blocks on the campus.

As part of the university’s ongoing greenery development efforts, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) has initiated a project to remove environmentally harmful tree species such as subabul and eucalyptus from the university campus. These trees, planted decades ago, were found to be contributing to groundwater depletion and land degradation.

The Vice-Chancellor stated that in the place of these trees, rare and traditional forest species native to Telangana will be introduced on a large scale.

He clarified that the initiative is based on ecological reasoning and long-term sustainability goals. He noted that the university’s Botanical Garden, once a key feature of the campus, had been in decline for over 15 years due to the uncontrolled growth of subabul and eucalyptus.

He also mentioned that the campus is filled with invasive weeds like lantana, parthenium, prosophis juliflora (Sarkar thumma), etc, causing severe environmental damage to the campus.

In the coming days, eucalyptus and subabul trees on 150 acres will be removed to make space for planting valuable varieties as part of the Vana Mahotsavam.

Around 30 native timber, wild fruit and wild flower bearing tree species, along with a wide variety of Bamboo varieties, are being planted to revive and rejuvenate the Botanical Garden.

The Vana Mahotsavam, organised by the Forest Department, will be attended by students, volunteers, forest enthusiasts, and the local community, the Vice-Chancellor added.

–IANS

ms/vd