90 trees fall prey to BBMP’s axe

90 trees fall prey to BBMP’s axe


Navya and Imran First Published : 06 Apr 2009 09:37:54 AM ISTLast Updated : 07 Apr 2009 07:53:46 AM IST
BANGALORE: The BBMP seems to be hell-bent to go ahead with its grand road-widening plans. And law of the land does not hold good when it comes to cutting a few trees here and there for this greater common good.
Two weeks after the High Court allowed the felling of trees in Bangalore for the sake of road-widening, the BBMP has taken the cue. And has set out on a no-holds-barred tree-chopping spree.
The BBMP’s Tree Officer on Saturday sanctioned the chopping of 90 trees along the Palace Road stretch from Mysore Bank Circle to Basavesvara Circle. Needless to say, unlike many other projects, there has been no delay in this work. The tree-cutting started promptly on Saturday.
It is the true that the March 16 order of the High Court allows for cutting of trees, but it comes with a rider. Trees can be chopped only if the order follows the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act (KTCPA) and the Karnataka Tree Preservation Act (KTPA). And in this case, the authorities have failed to comply with the court order.
According to the KTCPA, a public notification should be issued one month prior to any tree-cutting project, objections should be taken from the affected communities and from general public.
Only after these steps can the final scheme can be approved and then implemented.
Ignorance is bliss BBMP Tree Officer MR Suresh claimed that he was unaware of the court order and said that he was bound only by the Tree Preservation Act. “What is the use of giving one month notification to the public? Why should we wait for the public to file objections?” Suresh said, when contacted by Express.
However, Suresh said that he vaguely remembers that a notice had been issued before the chop-brigade was unleashed.
When Express, got hold of that notice, it turned out to be a a notification for the auctioning of trees but not that the trees were being cut.
Contempt of court? Agitated over the fact that trees are being cut disregarding the High Court order, environmentalists are up-in-arms against the BBMP.
Vinay, a member of Hasiru Usiru, said, “While the HC order lays specific conditions on cutting trees, these have been completely ignored, amounting to contempt of court.” Giving his legal opinion,Sunil Dutt Yadav,environmental lawyer said, “If the HC order is implied, the BBMP has no right to cut trees unless it first prepares a road-widening scheme and gets it approved with the consultation of the public.”