HC pulls up Benglauru tree authority

The high court expressed disappointment in implementing the provisions of the Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act, 1976.

During the hearing of a PIL filed by Dattatraya T Devare and the Bangalore Environment Trust, the petitioners urged the court to direct the authorities to carry out duties in the spirit of the aforementioned act and Karnataka Preservation of Trees Rules, 1977. According to the petitioners, the state government, the Forest Department, the Bangalore Urban District Tree Authority and the BBMP had failed to enforce the trees act.

The court directed the tree authority to file additional objections detailing the steps it adopted for carrying out the tree census as per the act.

The objections filed by the tree authority do not indicate that a census was conducted, the court observed. At the last hearing, the court had directed to constitute an expert committee. The hearing was adjourned to July 29.