As many as nine trees were felled on Saturday evening, at a property on Museum Road at the Resthouse Road junction. The huge trees were said to be making way for a new ‘construction’.
This reporter found no official at the spot to offer comment.
Some workers still around said, “We’ve been instructed to chop down the remaining half a dozen trees also by Sunday morning”.
Deputy Conservator of Forests (BBMP) Krishna Udupudi, asked whether the Palike had given its permission, said “no tree cutting on Museum Road has come to my notice”, but that he would look into it. However, he said permission to cut trees was mandatory, whether the property is public or private.
Meanwhile, former High Court judge and Resthouse Road resident, Justice M F Saldanha, told this paper that the property in question belonged to KPTCL and he himself had planted those trees. “An old office complex at the spot was demolished a few days ago for putting up a transformer complex.
Following my request to its MD, the KPTCL even had assured me that trees would be spared,’’ he said.
“Tree that were cut included six flowering ones, called Pride of India, and some Bohemia trees. I and some of my neighbours requested the workers to wait till we speak to higher authorities, but to no av ail. The law says that even if a new construction is planned, trees on the edge of the site premises should not be cut,” he added.