Of late, transplanting fully grown trees along the bund on M G Road and its technical and economic feasibility have acquired significance. Having played a key role in the transplantation of trees in Bangalore and Chennai, I would like to share my experiences on the issue.  
When I was the Corporation Commissioner in the mid-60s, preparations for the KR Market subway had been taken up.  During my inspection, I noticed that eight fully grown Gulmohar trees and three Silk Cotton trees on either side of the road were about to be removed. The contractor with his men and gear had arrived at the spot, perhaps, having received his mobilisation advance. I felt that an effort should be made to save all these trees. Fortunately, the Corporation staff, including the engineers and the Contractor agreed to co-operate.
We were informed by the local people that these trees had been there for a long time, perhaps from the time of Sir Mirza Ismail who was the Dewan.

The process
We first decided the new locations in which these trees had to be rehabilitated. Five trees were to be planted in Coles Park and Jayamahal Park. Of the Silk Cotton trees, two were to be shifted to the Corporation Office premises and one to Jayamahal Park.
In these locations, suitable spots were selected and pits large enough to accommodate the root system of these plants were dug. They were filled with farm yard, manure, sand, red earth and charcoal powder and were copiously watered. The gulmohar trees which had large spreading branches were suitably pruned to reduce their top weight.
Then the surgical wounds through which post-surgical infections would occur had to be taken care of.  Dr Govindu, Plant Pathologist and Dr Puttarudraiah, Entemologist of the Agriculture University guided the team on how the wounds had to be treated. A paste of suggested insecticides, fungicides and bactericides with boric powder as the main base was prepared using glycerine borax and petroleum jelly as solvents.The paste was applied to the wounds and they were bandaged using cotton wool, pieces of canvas and tarpaulin.
On top of this bandage, a further coat of cowdung was applied to take out the trees with their root system as intact as possible. Huge pits were dug around the trees pruning lateral roots to the extent absolutely necessary and leaving the tap root in place to the extent possible.
The next hurdle was transporting these trees to the new locations. As mechanical equipments were not available,  the help of Madras Engineering Group was sought. 
With the aid of hauling machines like mobile winches and tackles, the trees were  easily lifted and the branches and roots were taken from the mother soil.
They were transported and planted in their new homes. Thereafter, they were watered everyday. The whole operation was completed in a week.

Campaign, a success
All the five gulmohar trees in the Coles Park are even today surprisingly healthy and in full bloom. In the Jayamahal Park, of the two gulmohar trees, one was removed during the recent renovation exercise, the other one and the silk cotton tree are still flourishing. The two silk cotton trees were seen in the corporation premises some years ago.  I was told that they were removed sometime later to accommodate some new constructions.
Mr David Marshal, Deputy High Commissioner, UK High Commission, Madras was a friend of mine and he used to visit Bangalore fairly frequently. When he saw my experiments in the translocation of trees, he wanted to know if some fully grown trees in the High Commission premises could be shifted to other locations to make way for new constructions.
There were seven Tabebuia trees and two Sterculias. During one of my visits to Madras, I suggested new locations for the healthy trees and the methods to be followed. The trees were subsequently successfully transplanted.
If the authorities concerned in Bangalore genuinely want to save all the trees along the bund, including the flowering Lagerstroemias and Bouganvillea on the pergola, they can be shifted regardless of the species.
The cost of this exercise should not be the main concern if one were to reckon eventually with the cost of sacrificing decade-old trees for the sake of a new engineering project. After all, cutting down and removing green cover is far easier than saving it.
When one talks of expenses involved, one also has to consider what economists call as `opportunity cost’.

GLOBAL SCENE
Translocation of fully grown trees has been practised worldwide for many years. In Kew Gardens, London planting fully grown trees as a part of its botanical collection is a regular feature. In the National Botanical Gardens, Washington DC, large pine trees are being translocated. I witnessed several trees being shifted from their original location to different spots in the Cornell University Campus in Ithaca, New York state.
 I have also seen in Leningrad, USSR ( now St Petersburg, Russia) a whole avenue of trees, almost a kilometre-long being shifted overnight to allow for widening the road. In New Mexico, a similar event had taken place. Recently, in Le Havre, France, almost a third of an established park, including trees, shrubs and plants was shifted to the other side of the park to make way for a by-pass road.