'Won't object to tree cutting for flyover'

Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment B Ramanath Rai on Saturday said that his department would not object to the cutting down of trees for the steel flyover project in Bengaluru as it was a government-sanctioned initiative.

Speaking to reporters after visiting the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee office here, Rai said that a balance had to be struck when it came to environmental issues and developmental projects. “The flyover will ease traffic on Ballari Road and help thousands of people every day,” he said. The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has estimated that as many as 812 trees will have to be axed to make way for the steel flyover from Basaveshwara Circle to Hebbal.

Rai, however, said that the BDA would have to get the necessary clearance from the forest wing of the BBMP before cutting down the trees. “Hundreds of trees are cut down while widening state and national highways. At the same time, the state government is taking all measures to protect the environment,” Rai said.