A PROMISE ‘FELLED’

A PROMISE ‘FELLED’
BANGALORE MIRROR BUREAU


It was a lesson to many Bangaloreans who believed the promises made by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) and the city police at the Lalbagh West gate on Wednesday afternoon. Breaking their promise made before the green organisations, that they would not resort to felling of trees until Saturday, BMRCL personnel under the vigilant eye of police chopped off a few trees inside the renowned garden.
The felling activity, which was till now restricted only to the night, not only angered the members of the green brigade but also raised questions about the government’s credibility. “Just a days ago, they (police) promised us that they would not allow anybody to cut trees until Saturday as the BMRCL managing director and local MLA would jointly inspect the area. But barely a day after the complaint, the police are telling us that they got orders from top officers and are allowing them to cut trees,” said Vinay Sreenivasa, a volunteer from Hasiru-Usiru.
Sunil Dutt Yadav, an advocate, alleged, “Implementation of any project requires
transfer of land from the owner to the project contractors. However, in this case, the Horticulture Department (owner of Lalbagh) has not yet handed over the land to BMRCL. Before handing it over, the Deputy Commissioner of the city has to fix the compensation which he is unable to do now because of the prevailing code of conduct. This act is nothing but an illegal encroachment of a public property.” Unmindful of the protest, the authorities brought down five eucalyptus trees in less than an hour, thus causing traffic congestion.
KHAKI PROTECTION
Keeping in mind a probable protest by the green brigade, the BMRCL officials cut down trees under the watchful eyes of the police. With around 20-25 police men cordoning off the area, they chased away not only the protesters, but also the media persons. “We have been strictly ordered not to let anybody close, even the media,” said ACP Ramesh Chandra who was supervising the activities. However, the police officials later allowed the media to enter the site.