Chopping on but no sign of planting

Chopping on but no sign of planting
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: While Bangalore City Corporation has embarked on its tree chopping drive to ease traffic, it is doing nothing to follow a recent High Court order, which stipulates the planting of two new saplings for every tree chopped. To date, there has been no announcement to this effect.

According to a BCC official, a request by the traffic police to fell 703 trees for widening roads was received last week. Officials said BCC began the felling almost immediately in Basavangudi, Cubbon Road, JC Nagar and Nandidurg Road. The work would be complete before the monsoon.

An inter-office memo of the BCC had directed its horticulture superintendents to coordinate with chief engineer Anatha Swamy to carry out the tree-chopping exercise. When Anantha Swamy was contacted, he refused to comment.

However, chairperson of BCC standing committee M.S. Vasantha Kumari, when contacted said that the drive to plant the saplings in the city would begin soon. ‘‘We will begin discussions on the action plan tomorrow,’’ she added.

In this city of 6.5 million people, there are less one-third the number of trees left. Once the tree census by the Forest Department is complete, a clear picture will emerge. However, one looks at it, the ratio is pathetic.

One senior Forest Department official the total tree cover that is now being chopped down equals 54,950 sqmt. ‘‘Even if saplings are planted today, they will take another 50-60 years to grow to that size. It is unfortunate that so many trees are being felled at one go,’’ the official said.

Vani Vilas Road in Basavangudi, whose trees were its pride, looks bare now. During the last widening of the road a few years ago, trees lining the road were spared after pressure from locals and environmentalists. But now these very trees, all of them full grown, are being chopped down by the BCC, leaving residents and shopkeepers on the road angry. ‘‘There was no need to fell the trees.

They don’t come in the way of the traffic, which anyway is not so dense here,’’ said Arun Kumar a shopkeeper. Residents argue that since parking is anyway allowed on the entire stretch of the road, the trees could have been left alone as they took up only as much space as the parked vehicles did.

‘‘The trees are not too old and there is no danger of them falling. But they are full-grown and it is sad to see them brought down mercilessly,’’ added Kumar. Chopping on but no sign of planting