The High Court of Karnataka on Monday suggested the need to evolve a method to monitor schemes to plant saplings to replace trees cut down to make way for infrastructure projects in the city.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice D.H. Waghela and Justice B.V. Nagarathna made an oral observation in this regard during hearing on a public interest litigation (PIL) petition initiated suo motu by the court in 2011 on the issue of indiscriminate felling of trees for widening roads.
During the hearing, the counsel for the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike referred to the number of saplings planted in the city and claimed that the authorities had planted over three lakh saplings during 2007-08.
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Reacting to this claim, the Bench, in a lighter vein, observed that there would not have any open space left in the city even if only 60 per cent of the saplings survived.
The Bench said that a mechanism would have to be evolved to monitor the scheme.
Meanwhile, Vaishali Hegde, amicus curiae, suggested the Tree Authority should consist of at least two independent members who are not attached to the BBMP. She recommended that the Tree Officer should not be on deputation to the BBMP from the Forest Department but be an independent officer of the rank of Assistant Conservator Officer.
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Permission for felling trees should be given as a last option after exploring other alternatives.