Green Minute News:
In a big victory to conservation, Karnataka govt stalls felling of 368 trees in Bengaluru Cantt area. In the aftermath of a decision by Railway authorities to fell 368 trees in the Railway Colony area in the heart of Bengaluru city, environmentalists, activists and people had launched a campaign to save these heritage trees.
Recently, they had appealed to the State Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre to declare this as a Biodiversity Heritage Site. The Railway Land Development Authority of the Ministry of Railways has taken up a project to build a Commercial Complex in this residential area which is home to 368 trees and many of them heritage trees and nearly 100-200 years old.
On Wednesday, Karnataka Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre presided over a special meeting of the Karnataka Biodiversity Board in Bengaluru to discuss two major issues – one on Western Ghats and the other proposal for felling of 368 trees in Railway Colony in Cantonment area.
Karnataka Head of Forest Force & PCCF, Meenakshi Negi, Environment Department Principal Secretary Vijay Mohan Raj, APCCF Kumar Pushkar, Indian Institute of Science scientist T Ramachandra and others participated in the meeting.
Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre said the biodiversity site in Bengaluru Cantonment Railway Colony has 368 huge trees of a variety of species.
He added, “Many citizens of Bengaluru and environmentalists have requested that this area be declared a “Biodiversity Heritage Site” to protect them and give lung space to people living in this area.”
In this regard, the Forest Minister instructed the Karnataka Biodiversity Board members to initiate the process for declaration of the Cantt Heritage trees as Biodiversity Heritage Site and not allow the felling of any trees until then.
Welcoming the action taken by the Forest Minister, Vijay Nishanth, urban conservationist said, “It is a victory for people of Bengaluru and especially for citizens in this area as this is a valuable green patch which provides protection in an area that is highly commercialized and witnesses heavy traffic density and high air pollution. We hope the action initiated today will result in the declaration of this area as a Biodiversity Heritage Site soon. Unless and until people don’t come forward to protect our green cover in a big city like Bengaluru, activists alone cannot do anything. This is the effort of our sustained people’s campaign to protect these 368 trees.”
With the IT city of Bengaluru having lost its forests due to urbanization and rampant developmental activities in the last three decades, it is time for citizens to come forward to protect the remaining green and blue spaces for their very survival.