KRDCL engineer booked for felling trees meant for translocation

Amid opposition by environmental activists to the felling of trees for widening roads on the outskirts of Bengaluru, the Forest Department has booked a KRDCL assistant engineer and two others for felling trees marked for translocation.

Seven trees marked for translocation were cut down on the stretch near Budigere Cross, towards the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) road. The stretch is part of a KRDCL project to link the airport from KR Puram via Hoskote and Budigere Cross where 1,046 trees were to be cut and 70 translocated.

Translocation has been found as an alternative to the felling of trees in urban areas for development projects. The Karnataka Road Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL), which is widening roads on the outskirts of the city, has assigned the project to contractors.

Forest officials, who found the violations in April, have registered an FIR, making a KRDCL engineer the main suspect. “Being a government agency, the KRDCL must ensure that it sticks to the rules. It can’t blame the contractor for this mistake,” an official told DH.

The number of trees marked for translocation was minuscule when compared with over 1,000 trees being cut for the road. “The demarcation of trees in separate colour is not done in isolation. The KRDCL was well aware of its job but failed to do it. On top of this, the forest department is made to look like it is opposing all development projects,” another official noted.

The official noted that the forest department, with limited number of guards and range offices, cannot keep watch on the execution of each project. “The department can’t monitor every move of the contractor. Permission is given to agencies like the KRDCL because they are government wings which can ensure that the work is executed as per the law,” the official said.