Karnataka - Bangalore

Court ruling on tree felling revives hopes

BANGALORE: The recent Karnataka High Court ruling, in response to a petition filed by environmentalists seeking stoppage of indiscriminate cutting of trees as part of road-widening activities, brings respite to green brigade and residents alike.

Nearly 30,000 old and exotic trees on the arterial roads of Bangalore will face the axe as part of the road-widening programme, according to an estimate by the Environment Support Group. This judgment by the Karnataka High Court will help work towards methods to reduce this collateral damage and make decisions involving public opinion, Environment Support Group (ESG) representatives told presspersons here on Wednesday.

In response to a petition, the High Court had issued an interim directive. A committee was constituted to be chaired by Yellappa Reddy, ex-forest official and environmentalist, and would include representatives of the petitioners and the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike.

The case had been referred to the Karnataka High Court Legal Aid Committee headed by its president Justice K.L. Manjunath, for resolving the issues that were raised by hearing all parties from time to time, the petitioners’ lawyer Sunil Dutt Yadav said.

Leo Saldanha of ESG said the judgment encouraged the concept of public participation and deeply democratised the programmes. “Everybody has the rights to determine how they want their city to be. Car lobbies and corporates cannot play havoc in our city,” he said. As of now, 91 roads had been identified for widening and the number was to go up to 123. “We hope that this committee, vested with adequate powers, will be able to safeguard the interests of this city, residents and all road users, including hawkers,” Mr. Saldana said.

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