Thirty trees axed in one night

Thirty trees axed in one night
Monday July 2 2007 11:31 IST

BANGALORE: The tree-lined avenue, the Race Course Road, which had earned the City the sobriquet - ‘Garden City’ - sheltered a variety of birds and provided shade to people have lost 30 luxurious trees at one stretch.

On Saturday night the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) axed 30 fully grown and seemingly healthy trees for road widening.

The government and the civic agency have decided to slash the trees for Metro construction and road widening on four major roads- Race Course, M G Road, Sheshadri Road and Nruputhunga Road.

Traffic had increased immensely on these roads. Over 40,000 vehicles, for instance, plied on these roads every day.

The BBMP had earlier resolved not to fell trees if they can be saved. And efforts were to be made to relocate the valuable species.

The works began from M G Road with this vow in tact. So far the Palike could transplant nine trees from M G Road to Manekshaw Parade Ground surroundings. But it’s determination floundered when it came to Race Course Road.

Of the 56 trees in all, 30 trees - Gulmohar, rain trees, Peltophorum, May- flowers and Neem trees - were felled. Eco-Watch Chairman Suresh Heblikar said that the pace with which the City is developing shows that there will be no greenery left.

“Rapid urbanisation and the developments taking place for site formations is hustling Bangalore to an environmental death,” he said.

Member of Hasiru Usiru, Rohan D’Souza said the civic agency and the government lacked planning. “The approach to traffic management is skewed. These trees were valuable part of the urban eco-system. Trees should be used as medians for dedicated auto lanes. Mere felling is not the solution, right planning is important,” he said.

The BBMP however was contemplating on how to save these trees, officials say. Speaking to this website’s newspaper, a BBMP Forest Cell official said that the decision was delayed as the seven KB high voltage BESCOM lines are running underground.

“We were earlier waiting for the lines to be cleared and translocate the trees, but increasing pressure from higher authorities compelled us to axe them down,” he defended.

“With over 40,000 vehicles plying on this road, constructing a median was also not possible. The trees within the private property have been retained. Transplantation, again, is expensive,” the official added