STANDING TALL: Transplanted trees on the widened Raj Bhavan-Somajiguda road. - Photo: D. Gopalakrishnan

HYDERABAD: Horizons suddenly look clear with the increase in road width on some of the stretches of the twin cities that underwent a surgical operation by the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad in recent times.

And having stuck its neck out in removing trees on the way and facing much criticism, the civic body has now begun to transplant four to five-year-old plants in the road medians to bring back the greenery on these roads.

205 trees in place

Commuters on Raj Bhavan-Somajiguda road could see the tall plants bereft of leaves being planted along the centre of the road in the past few days.

In all, 205 such trees of `China badam' variety are being transplanted, according to Additional Commissioner of MCH (Planning and Projects) K. Dhanunjaya Reddy.

The plants, transplanted after consulting horticulture experts, are said to be sturdy in nature and can withstand the vagaries of weather as well as vehicular emissions. The very nature of these species is that they shed leaves on replanting and in a few days' time they are expected to sprout.

Three-feet pits have been dug within the median to accommodate the trees after treating the roots with chemicals and also loosening the soil.

A mixture of natural manure, sand and soil is also added near the roots to aid the trees' growth. Similar work is to be done on Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills roads, too, where widening is going on.

After much hue and cry, some old trees have been treated and transplanted after treating the roots with acids.

More than 150 such plants are planted in this fashion on different stretches and the survival rate depends on the age of the tree and diseases, if any.

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