These trees will make way for the Metro on ORR; BBMP says they are not even fit for firewood
Close on the heels of the Forest department planning to chop 6,300 trees for the rejuvenation of the Amani lake in Singanayakanahalli, here’s more bad news for Bengaluru’s green cover.
The canopy of trees that have been providing shade and oxygen along the Outer Ring Road (ORR) between Central Silk Board and KR Puram is all set to make way for Metro projects.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has issued a public notice about the removal of as many as 833 trees that are mostly located on the median.
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The civic body, which had issued a public notice last month, was forced to issue a fresh notice as many residents had sought more time citing the lockdown.
As per the new notice, the public gets ten days to file objections or suggestions.
The notice states that as many as 833 trees are infringing upon the construction of the Metro Phase II-A project, which was recently approved by the Union Government.
These trees are located along the 19.633 km length between Central Silk Board junction and KR Puram and up to Baiyappanahalli depot where 13 elevated Metro stations are planned.
A senior official in the forest department of BBMP said that the trees located on the median along the ORR are too small.
“They cannot be used even as firewood,” he said.
Veena Krishnan, lawyer and environmentalist, who wanted to look for the species and age of trees that are affected due to Metro, said that the BBMP’s website was not working on Thursday.
“Time is already running out.
The BBMP should have first ensured the website has all information.
This would have helped people to make an informed decision,” she said.
In the Environment Impact Assessment plan prepared at least three years ago, the BMRCL had stated that 4,789 trees are coming in the way of the proposed Metro project from Central Silk Board to the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA).
A total of 1,248 trees were identified on the median and station locations along the 19.75 km Phase II-A project (Central Silk Board to KR Puram) and another 3,541 trees on the alignment, station and depot locations of the 38 to 44km Phase II-B project, which extends from KR Puram to the airport.
There have been requests from environmentalists that the public notice on trees being affected should be issued during the stage of detailed project report preparations so that the project alignment could be tweaked to save trees.
Objections can be filed by sending an email to dcfbbmp12@gmail.com
