Tree-felling: Greens see red

Tree-felling: Greens see red


E xpress News Service
First Published : 30 Nov 2008 04:14:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 30 Nov 2008 11:00:03 AM IST

BANGALORE: Environmental groups like the Hasire Usiru and the Environment Support Group (ESG) has appealed to the High Court that the empowered committee constituted hear the public’s views on road widening work before the Bruhant Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) goes ahead with tree felling for such work.

At a protest demonstration on Saturday, members of the two groups noted that the empowered committee which was constituted in June this year has not approved a single road widening project so far, but the BBMP and forest officials have carried on with the works felling trees, removing pavements and so on.

It was noted that BBMP has already identified about 91 roads for widening and another 200 are likely to be listed soon. It effectively means many trees will be felled and therefore there is an immediate need to take the general public’s view into consideration, they said. The road widening projects are illegal, and are against the provisions of Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act and tree felling in particular is against the provisions of Karnataka Tree Preservation Act, the protesters said.