Irrespective of the soaring summer temperatures, trees are still considered a hindrance for urban growth, a fact which becomes more evident by the day. Several verdant stretches in the upscale localities of Banjara Hills now bear a barren look, and soon Road No. 3 will join the list.
Stealthy and consistent efforts to kill decades old trees have been noticed on the stretch of late, after a huge tree was purposefully starved to its death. The 80-year-old rain tree, dry to its last twig, was hacked a couple of days ago, informed locals.
“The tree was debarked over a period of several months, with holes drilled into it. We don’t know what they did later, but the tree died a slow death, after which it was cut and carried away,” an eyewitness said, reluctant to go on record.
Removing bark from a live tree is called ‘girdling’, and when done professionally, it involves debarking in circles around the trunk, so that nutrient transport is interrupted. However, when done with an intention to kill it on the sly, the debarking is done haphazardly over a long period of time.
“They inject herbicidal chemicals into the tree, by drilling holes, so that the tree dies eventually,” shared Uday Krishna Peddireddi from Vata Foundation, who shared the tree’s images on social media platforms. Sources informed that more trees are lined up for felling, going by the debarking already initiated on them.
