Mysuru, May 5 -- Despite public uproar over the overnight felling of 40 trees on Hyder Ali Road for road expansion, environmentalists warn that a more insidious campaign to destroy Mysuru's urban greenery is underway.

Trees along major thoroughfares are being deliberately damaged, with acid and chemical sprays reportedly used to dry them out, often at the behest of shop owners who claim that branches obstruct their signage and movement.

Roads like D. Devaraj Urs Road, Sayyaji Rao Road, Ashoka Road, Manandavadi Road, and Dattagalli - once shaded by trees planted decades ago - are witnessing a slow but systematic erasure of their green canopy.

Environmentalists are sounding the alarm over this covert destruction, which they fear will hav...