No way to verify if due process was followed for tree-felling: Activists

As the deadline ended to present objections on felling trees for metro works, activists said the information provided on the BBMP website has not been followed on the ground.

They point to a lack of markings on trees as proof that the officials did not conduct the process in a transparent way.

On November 21, the BBMP issued a public notification to remove 106 trees for two metro works. This would include 91 trees at Jyotipuram near KR Puram and 15 trees on the RV Road-HSR Layout line.

Activists and citizens have questioned the procedure, claiming that they had no way of verifying if the measures adopted at the proceedings of the Technical Empowered Committee (TEC) were followed.

“It is clear that they have already decided to cut the trees,” said Rajani Santosh, a Jayanagar resident, who wanted to know how the BBMP would address the public’s concerns.

“They have arranged the process in such a way that citizens will have no way of verifying if aspects of the public notice and documents were followed on the ground. There is no clarity on what they would do after the 10-day notice period,” Rajani said.

Tavarekere resident Adesh Sagar H K B conducted a survey of 16 trees from the Eastend Junction to the Silk Board junction and wrote to BBMP saying some trees appeared to have been marked for widening the space though the metro construction on the stretch has already been completed.

A sham, say activists

An activist dubbed the process of public notice a sham. “For a layman interested in saving trees, the procedure adopted by the BBMP is confusing,” she said.

“There is no way to understand if a tree is cut for the metro project or to build an alternative road during the construction of a metro line.”

A tree that needed to be cut because it is standing in the way should have been included in the original plan and environmental impact assessment of the metro project, the activist added.

BBMP officials said they have received about 25 objections and the Forest Department has got more than 20. “Measures will be taken to address the concerns raised by the citizens,” an official said.