The removal of a significant number of trees in the foothills of Kailasagiri, across from Tenneti Park in the city, has sparked controversy.

While officials from the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA) claim that they are clearing the space to establish an extra parking area for the convenience of Tenneti Park visitors, critics, including opposition leaders and environmentalists, argue that the trees are being cut down for commercial purposes, leading to widespread condemnation.

Currently, Tenneti Park provides parking for two-wheelers near its entrance gate, while the area across from the park is designated for four-wheelers. Authorities argue that the parking space for four-wheelers has proven insufficient, particularly on weekends. With the picnic season approaching in just a few months, the need for additional parking facilities has become unavoidable.

Visakhapatnam Collector A. Mallikarjuna, who serves as the VMRDA Commissioner, has recently given the green light to several projects at Tenneti Park. These projects include the installation of railings, seating benches, interlocking pavers, and the expansion of the car parking area, with a budget of ₹77 lakh allocated for these upgrades. Additionally, a new open-air gymnasium is also in the works, with an estimated cost of ₹5 lakh.

Over the past few days, earth-moving machinery has been employed to remove trees and level the terrain on both sides of the parking zone in order to enable the expansion project. Concurrently, opposition party leaders and environmental activists have characterized the tree removal as the "depletion of the green canopy" from a section of Kailasagiri.

A senior leader from the TDP has raised suspicions, alleging that the VMRDA authorities have intentions beyond just expanding parking capacity and may have commercial interests in mind for the space.

Stating that the authorities were considering granting permits for shops, he remarked, "It's unacceptable to eliminate greenery for commercial objectives." However, VMRDA Chief Engineer P. Siva Prasada Raju refuted these accusations, clarifying, "We are creating an additional area of approximately 300 square yards near Tenneti Park to accommodate more vehicles for park visitors. This space will not be used for the establishment of shops or any other development projects."

The official emphasized that the area was being cleared without disrupting the rocks or boulders. He explained, "The volume of visitors to Tenneti Park significantly increases on weekends. With the current parking area proving insufficient, visitors resort to parking their vehicles on the road, leading to traffic congestion. The introduction of extra parking space will undoubtedly provide a solution to this issue."