Over 1 cr trees felled under BJP rule, says Congress in rebuttal to PM Modi

Hyderabad: Condemning the remarks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi against the Telangana government over the Kancha Gachibowli land issue, the ruling Congress party said he has been misled by the Union Minister G Kishan Reddy on the subject.

In a statement, the Congress party said the BJP has levelled baseless allegations against the Telangana government. It stated the saffron party should look at its own track record on cutting trees before pointing fingers at others.

Citing the inauguration of five new buildings at the University of Hyderabad by the prime minister on October 1, 2023, the ruling party said the BJP is desperately seeking an opportunity to make inroads into Telangana and hence reading from the script given by its secret ally, the BRS.

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In a detailed rebuttal, the Congress party said under the BJP government, over 1 crore trees were felled, including an additional 23 lakh trees between 2020 and 2022 for mega infrastructure projects, like highways, ports, and airports. The party said BJP must be held accountable for its environmental negligence and failure to address the real needs of Telangana.

It was BJP which accorded special permission to the KCR government to take over 33,251.18 acres of forest land, and diluting environmental laws such as the 2023 amendments to the Forest Conservation Act, has exposed 28 per cent of India’s forests to development risks, the Congress party alleged.

What happened in HCU in 2023?

On October 1, 2023, PM Modi and his cabinet colleague Union Minister G Kishan Reddy inaugurated these new buildings in HCU:

School of Economics
School of Mathematics & Statistics
School of Management Studies
Lecture Hall Complex – III
Sarojini Naidu School of Arts & Communication (Annexe)

Thousands of mature trees were cut to make way for the academic development project and the estimated construction cost of these new buildings was Rs. 81.27 crores, it said.

BJP’s “Green” track record

Prime Minister Modi-led BJP government has always prioritised development over environmental sustainability and disregarded the concerns about deforestation across the country. The Modi government’s zero respect for the environment led to massive deforestation by Centre as well as BJP-ruled states over and over again since 2014, the statement said.

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PM Modi has targeted the Telangana government for clearing shrubs and trees for urban development in Kancha Gachibowli while he himself reiterated that development can coexist with environmental protection. BJP is making these accusations for their party’s political interests in Telangana, and also to support their secret ally, the BRS, it said.

Modi government is also responsible for deforestation in Telangana. The Centre gave special permission to the KCR government to take over 33,251.18 acres of forest land for various developmental projects.

The BJP-led government has overseen significant tree cutting for development projects, with documented instances totalling over 1 crore trees between 2014 and 2019. Additionally, another 23 lakh trees were removed between 2020 and 2022 for mega infrastructure projects.