Hyderabad:�The Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University (PJTGAU), Rajendranagar, has defended the removal of hundreds of trees from its campus, stating that the operation was part of a scientifically planned ecological revival initiative to remove non-native water-consuming trees and replace them with local species, and not an arbitrary felling.
The clarification came after students staged protests late Saturday night when large portions of the land were cleared under police protection.
Vice Chancellor Prof. Aldas Janaiah said the trees being removed, mostly eucalyptus and subabul, had long been damaging the campus ecosystem by depleting groundwater and degrading soil. “These are not native trees. Their removal was approved by the university in May through a formal auction process. The initiative is based on long-term sustainability goals,” he said, urging the public and environmental groups not to be misled by “false social media posts”.
Despite this, students at the university accused the authorities of uprooting trees under the guise of a green initiative. According to them, nearly 20 acres were cleared on Saturday night using JCBs. Around midnight, hostel gates were locked and police were deployed to prevent students from intervening, they said.
Videos purportedly showing students confronting police and pointing to the use of heavy machinery went viral on social media, drawing criticism ahead of the Chief Minister’s visit for Vana Mahotsavam on Monday.
Protests continued on Sunday, with students attempting to meet officials, and police preventing them from approaching the Vice Chancellor’s residence. The students demanded an immediate halt to the work.
The university, in a statement, said that the Botanical Garden and surrounding areas had been neglected for over 15 years and overtaken by invasive weeds such as lantana, parthenium and prosopis juliflora (sarkar thumma), along with eucalyptus and subabul plantations from earlier decades. These species, it said, were choking native biodiversity and needed to be removed before any meaningful greening could take place.
As part of the campus restoration, around 150 acres are being cleared to introduce nearly 30 traditional tree species native to Telangana, including wild fruits, flowering varieties, timber species, and bamboo. The drive, being carried out in collaboration with the HMDA and the forest department, will be formally launched by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
University officials said the plantation would be followed by active maintenance and monitoring and would include student participation. They also clarified that no indiscriminate cutting had taken place and the project was guided by expert input and environmental reasoning.
