Petition Filed to Halt NH-163 Road Widening and Protect Banyan Trees

Hyderabad: December 10th is the scheduled date for the Hyderabad-Bijapur NH-163 road widening project to begin but environmentalists have filed a fresh petition in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to halt the project, citing the need to protect the banyan trees along the Chevella stretch. The road widening, which aims to address safety concerns on this accident-prone route, has reignited the debate between preserving the environment and ensuring public safety.

Background of the Petition

Environmentalists Tejah Balantrapu, Pranay Juvvadi, and Natasha Ramaratnam, who had earlier filed a case to save the banyans, have now submitted a follow-up petition. They argue that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process for the project has been opaque, with no public hearing conducted as required by law. Of the 915 banyan trees lining the highway, the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) under the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MOEF&CC) approved the translocation of 522 trees and the retention of 393 trees.

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However, the petitioners claim the EIA report has not been made public, and the EAC illegally exempted the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) from conducting a public hearing. The petitioners are seeking an injunction to stop the felling or translocation of trees until the EIA report is disclosed and due process is followed.

Safety vs. Environment

The petition comes at a time when the TGPA-Manneguda stretch has claimed 70 lives in the last year due to its narrow and dangerous roads. The ongoing road-widening project is expected to improve safety and reduce accidents. However, the environmentalists contend that the banyan trees, some of which have been geotagged for preservation, are vital to the local ecosystem and must be protected.

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Legal Proceedings

The petitioners are challenging the MOEF&CC proceedings that led to the EAC’s approval of the project. They are requesting directions for a public hearing, strict adherence to the EIA procedure, and access to the sub-committee’s inspection report, which is currently unavailable. The final hearing on the case is scheduled for December 13, with interim relief sought to halt any further felling or translocation of trees until all procedures are clarified.

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