Tree census will resume within month, BBMP tells HC

The BBMP on Thursday told the High Court of Karnataka that it will resume the tree census within a month, as per the court’s direction.

The civic body’s statement came before a bench hearing a public interest petition filed by Dattatreya Devare and Bengaluru Environmental Trust, challenging cutting of trees for development works.

Advocate for the BBMP submitted that the Tree and Wood Technology Institute of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests had granted permission for the tree census that will be completed in one year.

The bench, considering the Tree and Wood Technology Institute as one of the respondents, issued a notice to it.

During the hearing of the petition, the bench questioned the BBMP as to why the tree census had not resumed from October 10, as directed by the court.

The court directed the BBMP to inform the court about the resumption of the tree census and warned of contempt action if it failed to do so.

Later in the evening, the BBMP assured the court that the tree census will be resume within a month and Rs 2 crore had been set aside for the exercise.