HMDA translocates 40 trees

HMDA is translocating the trees from Shamshabad and Gachibowli to different localities along the Outer Ring Road (ORR) and ensuring their survival.

Among the 180 trees, 40 Bauhinia Blakeana trees (Hong Kong Orchid Tree), which were planted in 2015, have already been successfully translocated from the Gachibowli entrance on the ORR to the Nanakramguda interchange.

This was done to ensure the green cover was not lost due to the proposed construction of a bus bay at the Gachibowli entrance on the ORR. Standing about eight-foot tall, these 40 trees were translocated last week and are surviving as the climate is conducive for taking up such exercise, said HMDA Deputy Conservator of Forests I Prakash.

Officials had identified about 150 trees for translocation from the area. Initially, to facilitate the commencement of works for constructing the bus bay, 40 trees were translocated and the rest would be taken up in the next phase, he



said.

In a similar exercise, the HMDA is translocating 140 Pogoda topiary plants from the Aramgarh- Shamshabad stretch to different areas on the ORR. Already, a dozen of them were translocated on the central median beyond Patancheru on the ORR.

As the Roads and Buildings Department is developing the existing Aramgarh-Shamshabad stretch into a six-lane road, the central median is being cleared along with the ornamental trees planted on the space. The HMDA is now translocating them to the ORR. The five-foot-odd plants will be used in covering a few gaps of plantations on the central medians of the ORR. In about 15 days, all the 140 plants would be translocated from Shamshabad to the ORR, HMDA Urban Forestry Director B Srinivas said.