Adyar residents move petition to National Green Tribunal against felling of trees in road project

CHENNAI: A controversy has erupted over the felling of 69 trees in Adyar with locals submitting a petition before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) alleging environmental violations and lack of transparency in the State Highways Department’s proposal for a road project.

According to The Hindu report, the petition, submitted by a representative of the Ramaniyam Towers Residents Association, alleged that no environmental clearance was obtained before the department commenced the road widening work.

As per the petition, the road project which is meant to ease congestion at the Greenways Road to Durgabai Deshmukh Road junction was approved without consulting the public. The residents had earlier approached the Madras High Court in October 2024 regarding the issue and claimed that there was major conflict of interest.

The residents noted that Highway Department officials were also a part of the committee that approved the decision to chop trees, which detailed the impartiality of the process. They also pointed out that there was no environmental consideration in the decision. The petition also emphasized that there was no effort taken to explore alternative solutions that could save the trees.

However, in response, the State Highways Department filed a report stating that the junction is a high-traffic zone used by senior government officials. They further explained that expanding the existing roads was not an option due to the presence of heritage buildings and official residences in the area.

Following this, the case is scheduled for hearing on April 15 in which both sides are expected to present their arguments before the Green Tribunal.