Mysore/Mysuru, March 24 -- While the Hyder Ali Road has been widened and transformed into a sleek twin carriageway along the 360-metre stretch between Kalikamba Temple and SP Office Circle, the makeover has come at a high ecological cost.

More than 40 trees were felled overnight on April 17, 2025, to make way for the project, sparking outrage among environmentalists and triggering protests.

Environmental activists strongly criticised the mass felling of trees and accused the authorities of failing to carry out compensatory greening. They had demanded that saplings be planted in place of the lost trees and nurtured to maturity.

Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) officials had assured that new saplings would grow to about 12 feet within five ...