The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has given citizens a little more than a week to file their objections to the proposal to fell 112 trees on Jayamahal Road. While authorities say the road-widening project had been in the pipeline for years, many citizens believe the proposal is the government’s furtive way of going ahead with the controversial steel flyover project.
The notice, dated February 7, issued by the Assistant Conservator of Forests and Tree Officer of the BBMP provides only 10 days for citizens to file objections to the project that is labelled as reducing traffic congestion from Mehkri Circle towards Bengaluru Cantonment.
As early as 2011, the BBMP had scheduled to widen Jayamahal Road. Yielding to protests, some trees were left and concreted in the middle of the partially widened road. The proposal would integrate the acquired portion of Palace Grounds with the existing four-lane road.
However, environmentalist Vijay Nishanth said the project was linked to the steel flyover project that had been temporarily halted by the National Green Tribunal. “The notice is just the BBMP’s attempt at clearing the path for the steel flyover, which will result in the axing of 812 trees,” he said.
Naresh Narasimhan of Citizens for Bengaluru said the proposal was a “travesty”. “Why do they have to cut the trees when there are viable options to save them. The trees can be maintained at medians or transplanted to different locations ... We are determining our options before we take this up with the NGT,” he said.
