Greens up in arms against rail link to BIA

Greens up in arms against rail link to BIA


Express News Service First Published : 06 Aug 2010 04:35:09 AM ISTLast Updated : 06 Aug 2010 09:05:56 AM IST
BANGALORE: At least 371 trees are going to be axed for the ambitious high speed rail link (HSRL), connecting Bangalore city with the international airport.
Information available through the Right to Information (RTI) Act reveals that around 371 trees were being axed and 265 trees will be pruned for the project. There are also plans to acquire around 66 hectares of public land.
“Earlier for Metro rail, they said that they were going to axe around 400 trees. But they ended up axing 3,000 trees. Now, the detailed project report (DPR) for HSRL says that 371 trees are going to be axed. Finally, the number will be beyond this,” said environmental activist Vinay Sreenivasa of environmental group Hasiru Usiru.
As per the information obtained through RTI by Hasiru Usiru, the project is costing Rs 6,000 crore to cover a distance of 34 km. “When the national highway 7 is being converted into a 10-lane highway, where is the need to spend so much money for HSRL,” he asked.
HSRL will connect national highway 7, having four stations at Cubbon Road, Hebbal, Yelahanka and Bangalore International Airport terminal station.
“The government will lose money and the city will lose its greenery at the end of the day due to this project,” Sreenivasa said.