<p>Trees on Kanakapura Road, south Bengaluru, have been given a new lease of life. The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited’s (BMRCL) tree committee has not only saved 70 trees from being axed but also decided to translocate 35 others.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The tree committee was formed by the High Court to check indiscriminate felling of trees for Namma Metro’s second phase. The committee members hope that if they can successfully translocate the trees, it will be the first-of-its-kind example of maintaining ecological balance alongside infrastructural development.<br /><br />The BMRCL had marked 190 of 235 trees to be axed on Kanakapura Road. But the tree committee, after a month-long survey, held that trees beyond 13.5 metres will not be touched. Thus, 130 trees on either side of the Metro alignment are being saved. Over 70 other trees which came between pillars and turnings have been saved too, while 35 trees have been identified for translocation.<br /><br />Committee member Vijay Nishanth said that the details of the survey and the number of trees to be axed and saved would be submitted to the BMRCL on July 15, after which the final decision would be taken. Details of the tree survey will also be made public after the meeting. People will be given a week to 10 days to post their objections. If possible, more trees will be saved, he added.<br /><br />The committee’s last meeting was held on June 9, 2016. Kanakapura Road has a large number of mango, jamun, tamarind and ficus trees, most of which were being proposed to be cut down for Namma Metro’s southern extension of 6.29 km (from Puttenahalli to Anjanapura) under Phase 2.<br /><br />The committee is also demanding that the BMRCL plant at least 3,000 trees of the same species around the main road to compensate for the loss of green cover. Nishanth said that most of the trees which had been marked to be axed were mature and over 80 years old. Some have also become hollow from within and can fall anytime, he said.</p>
<p>Trees on Kanakapura Road, south Bengaluru, have been given a new lease of life. The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited’s (BMRCL) tree committee has not only saved 70 trees from being axed but also decided to translocate 35 others.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The tree committee was formed by the High Court to check indiscriminate felling of trees for Namma Metro’s second phase. The committee members hope that if they can successfully translocate the trees, it will be the first-of-its-kind example of maintaining ecological balance alongside infrastructural development.<br /><br />The BMRCL had marked 190 of 235 trees to be axed on Kanakapura Road. But the tree committee, after a month-long survey, held that trees beyond 13.5 metres will not be touched. Thus, 130 trees on either side of the Metro alignment are being saved. Over 70 other trees which came between pillars and turnings have been saved too, while 35 trees have been identified for translocation.<br /><br />Committee member Vijay Nishanth said that the details of the survey and the number of trees to be axed and saved would be submitted to the BMRCL on July 15, after which the final decision would be taken. Details of the tree survey will also be made public after the meeting. People will be given a week to 10 days to post their objections. If possible, more trees will be saved, he added.<br /><br />The committee’s last meeting was held on June 9, 2016. Kanakapura Road has a large number of mango, jamun, tamarind and ficus trees, most of which were being proposed to be cut down for Namma Metro’s southern extension of 6.29 km (from Puttenahalli to Anjanapura) under Phase 2.<br /><br />The committee is also demanding that the BMRCL plant at least 3,000 trees of the same species around the main road to compensate for the loss of green cover. Nishanth said that most of the trees which had been marked to be axed were mature and over 80 years old. Some have also become hollow from within and can fall anytime, he said.</p>
