Garden City on tree-felling spree

Garden City on tree-felling spree


One more 'nostalgic avenue' is under the axe for road widening. BBMP started cutting trees on Palace Road on Sunday morning.
Express New Service
First Published : 13 Oct 2008 09:52:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 13 Oct 2008 11:35:00 AM IST

BANGALORE: As part of the City’s road widening project, the tree-lined avenues of Palace Road are being dug up and many trees are being axed. Despite several protests and a committee, appointed by the High Court (HC), overseeing the issue, Sunday morning witnessed tree felling on the Palace Road.

Many large trees on this road, starting from Maharani’s College, are to be transplanted elsewhere while a temple in the same line is to be retained.

To tackle the increasing traffic woes of the city, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has selected 85 roads for widening. Forty-five of these were notified for widening in 2005.

Widening of the Palace Road, Seshadri Road, Race Course Road, Kasturba Road, Rashtriya Vidyalaya Road, Hosur Road, Devang Hostel Road, Bellary Road, and Jayamahal Road were to be undertaken on an urgent basis. According to a BBMP estimation, about 300 trees would have to be cut.

The BBMP had constituted a nine-member sustainable development empowered technical advisory committee in July abiding by the directions of HC. In response to a public interest litigation filed by Environment Support Group and Civic Bangalore, the HC had directed the BBMP to constitute a committee to monitor its road-widening projects.