JOIN USGreens oppose bid to cut trees for road widening
While the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) has identified 15 trees for axing to complete the pending works on widening the road between Government Guest House and Chatrimara junction in Nazarbad to facilitate the burgeoning traffic, environmentalists are against the same.
On Saturday, environmentalists drawn from different organisations, along with the school students staged ‘appiko chaluvali’ (hugging the tree), a token protest to draw the attention of the civic body towards the significance of retaining the green cover.
Bhanu Mohan State president of Parisara Samrakshana Samiti who had convened the protest told the media that the city corporation had decided to cut down seven Tamarind trees, five rain trees, two Ashoka trees and one Gulmohar tree, in the name of development.
“All the trees identified are on the edge of the road (even after widening), and the local body is all set to remove the same without giving thought to the consequences,” she said.
Mohan said that according to the survey conducted by the environmentalists, barring one Gulmohar and two Ashoka trees on the same stretch, the remaining were healthy. “There is no objection to cut down the Gulmohar and Ashoka trees, which are posing danger to lives,” she clarified.
Mohan exuded confidence that DCF V Karikalan with whom she has spoken, had agreed to take the final call in the interest of green lovers. Maj Gen (Retd) S G Vombatkere from Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP) said that the authorities had been consistently ignoring the interest of pedestrians, while road users were getting more attention.
When contacted, in-charge Development Officer of Zone 7 Nagaraj told Deccan Herald that the works on widening the road was being taken up at an estimated cost of Rs 25 lakh. As per the plans, the existing width of the road will be widened from 12 feet to 17 feet. What remains is asphalting the widened space as the metalling works have been already completed.
“It is inevitable to widen the road, as the inter-state buses too are also taking the same route along with local vehicles, to connect to Hardinge Circle to reach Nanjangud road and further. Moreover the intersection of Chatrimara road and Theobald road that connects Government Guest House to Hardinge Circle is an accident spot, calling for improving the road connectivity,” he added.
However, the Forest department has given its consent to axe the trees, with the Horticulture wing in the MCC vested with the responsibility to implement the same, Nagaraj added.
Former forest official Srinivas, Srimati Hariprasad, M S Satyanand Vittu from Tulasi Parisara Nairmalya Samsthe were prominent among others who took part in the protest.