BENGALURU: Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will hold a public consultation on the proposal to axe 833 trees along the Outer Ring Road (ORR) to pave way for construction of a Metro line.
In a notification on Thursday, BBMP stated that these trees are infringing Metro construction works of the elevated corridor from Central Silk Board to Kadubeesanahalli, which is part of the 19.6-km Central Silk Board – KR Puram – Byappanahalli section of the Bengaluru metro rail project on ORR.
Deputy conservator of forest (DCF) HS Ranganatha Swamy said these trees are not old but are planted on medians and the public can file their objections, if any, before July 4.
There is a court order stating that the authority seeking to cut trees must plant 10 saplings for every tree it axes.
However, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited is yet to share information with BBMP on where they will plant saplings, he said.
In 2020-21, BBMP received a proposal to cut1,293 trees.
It declined permission to cut 196 trees and ordered relocation of 395 trees.
However, a BBMP forest cell official said they are struggling to relocate the trees as infrastructure and technology in the city is bad.
Another proposal to cut 6,316 trees to rejuvenate Singanayakanahalli lake is now in the public consultation stage.
However, activists have opposed the move and have launched an online campaign.
BBMP had started a tree count exercise in 2020 but it was halted due to Covid-19.
By October, BBMP said about 30,288 trees had been counted but sources said it would be less than 5% of the city’s trees and that it is impossible to count all of them.