Outrage in city; green activists mount rescue in vain

Activists stop BMP from felling tree
Deccan Herald


The activists belonging to Greenpeace and the Environment Support Group also lodged a police complaint alleging illegal felling by the BMP.

It was a minor re-enactment of the ‘Chipko’ movement on Residency Road on Thursday afternoon. About 30 young environmental activists clambered on to a tree that was being felled by the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP), forcing the police to intervene and halt the felling.

The activists who were affiliated to the Greenpeace and Bangalore-based Environment Support Group went on and filed a case on ‘illegal felling’ at the Ashoknagar police station.

A top official of the BMP closely connected with tree-felling, pleaded against being made the villain of the piece. “The BMP is only acting as per the decision of the Bangalore Task Force on Traffic Management where 702 trees identified as obstacles to smooth flow of traffic are marked for felling or pruning as applicable,” he maintained.

“At the Committee (BTFTM) level, the progress is monitored on a weekly basis. The deadline given to us is May 15. We are far behind completing the task”, he observed. Sought his response to the police complaint by the activists he said, “We will take care of it.”

He reiterated the BMP’s stand that under the provisions of the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, the BMP Commissioner has the power to order the felling of trees in BMP limits whenever it is found necessary.

Mr Leo Saldanha, head of the Environment Support Group while not refuting the BMP’s power as provided by KMC Act, pointed out that the Forest (Conservation) Act 1980 rested the final word on trees with the Forest Department. Moreover, the Forest (Conservation) Act being a Central legislation overrules the powers of the KMC Act, he argued. The activists have in the recent past too vented their ire against the BMP Commissioner for not taking the permission from the Forest Department for its tree felling drive. Last month they broached the matter with the offices of the Principal Secretary, Home and Principal Secretary Forest, Ecology and Environment. The latter is learnt to have asked the office of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Karnataka to study the issue. On Thursday, the activists noted that the BMP should at least await the response from the PCCF’s office.

Interestingly, a highly placed officer of the Department of Forests was sympathetic to the BMP. “Law is law and we would want the BMP to take our permission. But, in extreme cases, the BMP perhaps finds itself in a situation - say like a transport commissioner without a driving licence,” he noted.

Last year, when a large number of trees were felled to overcome rain related accidents the Forest Department and the BMP resorted to ‘spot inspections and spot sanctions’, he recalled, and said that the same may be considered in this instance too.