Anger Erupts in Vizianagaram as Land Sharks Chop Down 400 Cyclone-Shielding Palm Trees in Chintapalli, Officials Ignore Seven Months of Protests

In Chintapalli village of Pusapatirega mandal, Vizianagaram district, sharp public outrage has broken out after encroachers chopped down more than 400 palmyra palm trees to execute an illegal land grab. These deep-rooted trees served as a critical natural shield along the Bay of Bengal coast against cyclone winds, high tides, and coastal erosion. By hacking down the trees overnight, land grabbers have left coastal hamlets, fishermen, and farmland fully exposed to future natural disasters.

The illegal destruction is fueled by skyrocketing coastal land values, driven by the ongoing construction of Bhogapuram International Airport and coastal corridor projects, with beachfront prices crossing a crore rupees per acre. Land mafias have been eyeing community and poramboke lands in Chintapalli for commercial layouts. For seven months, villagers repeatedly petitioned revenue officials, police, and district authorities, but the administration looked the other way, giving encroachers a free pass.

Betrayed villagers vented anger over politicians who vanish once elections are over, noting that leaders who once came begging for votes have abandoned them to unchecked land grabbing and environmental damage. Villagers also pointed to a glaring double standard - while the state government announces grand plans like the "Great Green Wall," local officials failed to save 400 existing, life-saving palm trees being cleared in broad daylight.