HC to hear suit against BBMP's claims on tree saplings

A combined effort of various environmental activists from across the City on Environment Support Group’s website falsify Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike’s data that 10,75,388 saplings were planted in the City and that on an average (in a span of six years), 63.5 per cent of the saplings have survived.

A reality check that was done by residents from various areas across City revealed that the numbers were otherwise.

While most who participated in the exercise said that there were zero saplings in the given area, less than 20 per cent of the saplings have survived on an average, according to the report.

Residents were asked to do the same by downloading a document that was made accessible at ESG's website (www.esgindia.org).

They were asked to pick one or more rows from any of these sheets that provides details of number of trees planted and that have survived: in a neighbourhood or locality or street. They were then asked to pool in information based on observation.

On April 21, counsels of BBMP claimed before the court that during the years 2007-2013, the forest wing of BBMP had planted 10,75,388 trees.

The document was also supplied as part of suo motu proceedings initiated by the High Court in writ petition 7288/2011, responding to concerns over mass tree felling in Bangalore, raised by Justice D V Shylendra Kumar, who was a High Court judge then.

The group including Leo F Saldanha, Bhargavi S Rao, Shashikala Iyer, Mallesh K R, Davis Thomas, Pushpalatha and Prashanth have been fighting for the case.