S G Neginhal, the man who made Bengaluru the Garden City, passes away at 93

S G Neginhal, 93, the retired forest official credited with creating the green cover around Bengaluru four decades, passed away here on Sunday.

Neginhal was an Indian Forest Service officer and retired as the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests. He was responsible for creating the greenery in and around the city in the 1980s. A forester par excellence, he had extensive knowledge of plants and wildlife and was an acclaimed wildlife photographer.

The state government appointed him the chief of the Urban Green project during his tenure as the Deputy Conservator of Forests between 1982 and 1987 in Bengaluru.

Using his extensive knowledge in native species, Neginhal picked the tree varieties suited to Bengaluru’s weather and planted them on the roadsides and open areas. The 15 lakh trees planted by volunteers during his tenure have now grown up into big trees.

Former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi obtained a plant species from Neginhal to plant in Shakti Sthal, his mother and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s memorial. Neginhal was actively involved in green conservation until his last days and expressed dismay over the mindless tree
felling in the name of development.

As head of Bandipur Tiger Conservation Project in 1973, Neginhal played a significant role in saving the big cat. He was also instrumental in identifying and developing
Kokkare Bellur as a bird sanctuary.

He authored books like ‘Forest Trees of South India’, ‘Sanctuaries and Wildlife of Karnataka’, ‘Golden Trees’, ‘Green Spaces and Urban Forestry’. In his co-authorship came the book on ‘Forest Trees of Western Ghats that includes Eastern Ghats and Deccan Plateau.

A recipient of the 2017 TNA Perumal Memorial National photography award given by the Focus Academy of Art Photography for his incredible snapshots of the wild, Neginhal also served as honorary member of Youth Photographic Society. As a student, he took part in the Quit India Movement. Neginhal is survived by a son and four daughters.