Metro clings on, Lalbagh goes online

Metro clings on, Lalbagh goes online

Vaishalli Chandra & Senthalir S. Bangalore

Two days ahead of polling, the Save Lalbagh campaign intensified with protesters planning to make their demands online to garner more support for their agitation against theBangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited's (BMRCL) decision to cut 23 trees along the green stretch. The protestors hope that once circulated over the internet, their petition for saving the city's cherished lung space, to be submitted to the Chief Minister, will get even more widespread support than it has already obtained. The BMRCL, however, stood its ground. While preliminary work at Lalbagh continued on Tuesday, officials said full-fledged work would start "in another 10 or 15 days after securing Lalbagh". Protesters, however, are still hoping that after Minister in-charge of Bangalore R Ashok's order that trees should not be cut till the elections are over, a formal order would be issued by the state government to save the green cover. Should the Metro alignment not change in this area, this dense tree cover will make way for the project. The protesters argue that an underground alignment or a total realignment could save trees.