Over 300 trees have been marked for felling for a railway development project.
Credit: DH File Photo
Bengaluru: In a move that could determine the fate of 368 trees near the Cantonment railway station, the Karnataka Biodiversity Board (KBB) has sought responses from the Railways and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on a proposal to declare the area a biodiversity heritage site.
The Indian Railways had planned to develop land near the railway colony.
Following a suggestion by Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar B Khandre, who also chairs the KBB, the board decided at its June 26 meeting to initiate the process of declaring the site a biodiversity heritage area.
In a letter to the BBMP chief commissioner, KBB member secretary Govardhan Singh referred to the board’s resolution and sought feedback.
"Please provide the proceedings and opinion of the tree expert committee and the Biodiversity Management Committee, BBMP," the letter stated.
BBMP sources said declaring land owned by a central government agency as a heritage site involved legal complexities.
"The Biodiversity Management Committee has not held meetings recently to decide on anything. Moreover, the legal aspects have to be studied carefully before deciding on the matter as the land belongs to a third party," an official said.
Responding to a query, Singh said the board was acting on its June 26 resolution.
"Even private land can be declared a biodiversity heritage site, provided we have consent from the owner. Besides the BBMP, we have written to the Railways in this regard. We are consulting all the stakeholders and seeking their opinion," he said.