We want a Green City, but no trees near homes’

We want a Green City, but no trees near homes’
Deccan Herald

Pongemia, Neem, Champak, Hibiscus, Ashoka, ‘Mutthuga’, ‘Parijatha’ and ‘Kadamba’ might soon replace bougainvillea and huge old trees in Bangalore. Thanks to the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike’s (BMP) plan to launch a sapling plantation drive in the city. It is a daunting task to boost greenery, admit BMP’s forest division. “We have to outpace the felling of trees,” they say, ruing the fact that Garden city has been evolving number of reasons to fell the trees.

Tree collapses during the monsoon has triggered panic reactions even as people demand trimming and chopping of trees. It is a known fact that most trees get uprooted in the heavy winds and rains due to human interference. The constant digging by the various departments for laying drains and cables have loosened the soil and damaged the roots too, lament officials.

Meanwhile, trees are not only blamed for eating into the road space, but considered hazardous to electric poles and wires. Many are sacrified for the sake of development like road widening, installation of cables and drains. Sadly, many more trees will face the axe as infrastructure development, monorail, metro and fly-overs are becoming inevitable.

Despite the grim reminders, the fact that the city can still boast of a green cover of 40 per cent is a saving grace.

That also explains why people swear by Bangalore’s pleasant weather.

“If one can bear the high levels of pollution, the city has a fantastic weather. You can wear your coats even in summer,” said renowned cricketer Anil Kumble recently. A survey also places the city second in the country after Gandhinagar to be having the highest number of trees dotting the roads. The last excuse that is disheartening is the Common Man’s appeal - ‘Plant trees, but nowhere near my house’.

Irony

Ironically, the people have been demanding felling of trees as they are ‘blocking traffic’, ‘threatening to collapse on their roofs’ or the dry leaves are a ‘litter’. “Last year, we planted 1,178 saplings. But we got many requests for trimming and chopping of the trees,” rued Krishna Udupudi, tree officer of BMP.

“Many species of trees which grow in a short span will replace the old varieties that cause allergies. We will plant them along the ring road, traffic islands and footpaths”, confirmed BMP officials.