KARIMNAGAR, SEPTEMBER 27, 2026: A few days before the proposed visit of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to Karimnagar town on September 30 to inaugurate the new Collectorate office complex (Integrated district offices complex) on the existing premises of the old and ambitious Collectorate complex, the authorities axed many fully grown trees, including neem, without procuring mandatory permission from the forest department.
These trees were planted about 25 years ago as part of the Vana Mahotsavam by then Collector Sumita Dawra in the Helipad park, which was developed by then and late Collector Debabrata Kanta. However, the present visionless leaders and administrators had mercilessly axed the fully grown trees only to win over the accolades of the VIPs visiting Karimnagar town to inaugurate the Collectorate.
It may be mentioned here that then Collector Debabrata Kanta developed the Helipad Park by constructing three helipads to ensure that the Prime Minister and Defence Minister, who usually come in three helicopters, could land comfortably amid lush green lawns and plants in the park on the premises of the Collectorate.
Some visionary administrators had created huge lung space in Karimnagar town for the benefit of the people of the town, which is growing in leaps and bounds, and created Helipad Park, which was later turned into a Centenary Park (Shatabhi Park) as part of the centenary celebrations of Karimnagar town in the year 2005.
Accordingly, the MCK had developed the park with a walking track for the morning walkers and children’s play items such as swings, etc for Rs 64.18 lakhs. It served the people of Karimnagar town as a lush green park for morning walkers and children’s playing area amid greenery.
Thanks to the so-called ‘visionless’ BRS leaders, they had demolished the Collectorate office complex, which is stated to be the first integrated Collectorate office complex in the integrated Andhra Pradesh state, in the name of construction of a new Collectorate complex for ‘obvious reasons’. Instead of constructing the new Collectorate office complex on the premises of Satavahana University Pharmacy College grounds on the picturesque shores of the LMD reservoir, the then rulers had preferred to demolish the Collectorate complex in the name of construction of the new Collectorate.
Recently, the Satavahana Urban Development Authority (SUDA) had come forward to renovate the Helipad park for Rs 47 lakhs and the entrance arch at a cost of Rs 6 lakhs. SUDA chairman Komatireddy Narender Reddy, along with Karimnagar MLA Gangula Kamalakar, Mayor Kolagani Srinivas, Collector Chitra Mishra, Municipal Commissioner Praful Desai and others participated in the groundbreaking ceremony on June 24, 2026.
Ironically, the SUDA had just destroyed the existing Helipad Park, including three helipads and constructed a new Helipad without any lawns or plantation of flowering plants. But the SUDA had spent a whopping Rs 47 lakhs just for the construction of a concrete Helipad by removing the old helipads and also removing the children’s playing items.
Destruction of fully grown trees is not development to please the ruling party leaders, said the Lok Satta Udyama Samstha leaders, and added that the existing trees were not causing any hindrance to the landing of a helicopter and asked why the trees were destroyed without any reason and illogically.
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