GREEN MINUTE NEWS:
368 trees to be felled in Bangalore Cantonment Railway Colony for commercial development project by Ministry of Railways. In this regard, the BBMP (Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagar Palike) has called for objections in a public notice issued recently. The Railway Land Development Authority (RIDA) of the Ministry of Railways has taken up this controversial project for a commercial project inside a residential colony.
In a public notice issued on April 25, the BBMP has called for objections and suggestions from people regarding the proposal for felling of 368 mature trees located in Vasant Nagar area of Bengaluru.
The citizens have been just given 10 days’ time that is before May 5th to file their objections and suggestions to both BBMP & RIDA through this email:
Even as the city reels under heat conditions and rising temperatures, the BBMP has called for such an ecologically destructive project. Activists and environmentalists have condemned the proposed felling of 368 trees under the guise of developing the Railway Colony when the IT city is already facing the problem of extreme heat, decreasing water table and rising temperatures.
They add, “Bengaluru has already lost its massive green cover for various infrastructure projects, expansion of IT and Software Parks, construction of apartment complexes, commercial development and various other linear structures. Further, the development of metro rail has already destroyed the city’s green cover.”
Urban conservationist and tree doctor Vijay Nishant said, “It is unbelievable that such a project can be taken up with the DCF calling for objections. We are totally against this project and how can propose to fell 368 mature and heritage trees in the heart of Bengaluru. It is located in the heart of the city and not only provides oxygen to people but also provides shelter to various bird species for nesting and breeding.”
He adds, “We won’t allow such a project to come up in Bengaluru which has already lost precious green cover since the advent of IT industry and migration of people from all parts of India in search of IT jobs. There is already a desperate need to decongest Bengaluru and shift industries especially software parks to places across other districts in Karnataka.”
With IT industries going in for construction of glass façade buildings in the northern parts of Bengaluru, the city is facing another big problem that is the formation of “heat islands” in different parts of the city. Added to this, widening of roads and metro rail has resulted in massive loss of tree cover.
Apart from this, successive Karnataka governments in the last two decades have diverted forest lands in Bengaluru for various infrastructure projects and ironically, developed tree parks (Turahalli) by clearing forests.
Vishwa, a resident of Vasant Nagar area told Green Minute that it is shocking that the Ministry of Railways have proposed such a destructive project just because they own the land in this area and how could BBMP forest cell agree to such a project?
Neither the Railways nor the BBMP have come out with details of the proposed commercial development project in an area that is already facing high pollution and severe congestion and whether such a project is necessary, environmentalists say and add, “We call upon the citizens of Bengaluru to oppose this project tooth and nail as it will affect the people directly be it their life, health or availability of good air or water.”