Tree Felling Angers Agricultural University Students

Students of the Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University in Rajendranagar today criticised the authorities for "damaging" the campus ecosystem.

They condemned the overnight felling of a significant number of trees using JCB machinery on Saturday night.

Reports indicate that trees spread across 20 acres were felled by officials from various government departments, accompanied by police protection. Around midnight, hostel gates were closed and police personnel were stationed outside to prevent students from leaving or disrupting the operation.

The students alleged that the State government was intent on disrupting the ecosystem, and demanded an immediate halt to the ongoing works.

However, the Vice-Chancellor of the university refuted the allegations and urged the public not to believe in false propaganda.

In a press release, the Vice-Chancellor said that, as part of the greenery development program at the university, ITC had been awarded a project through a formal auction process to remove subabul and eucalyptus trees - which were planted decades ago and are considered harmful to the environment.

The program was intended to remove the trees that were causing groundwater pollution and damaging university lands, and had been underway for the past month, he added.

The VC also said that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy would launch the Vana Mahotsavam program on the university premises on Monday.