BBMP to axe 67 large trees to build Ejipura flyover

Bengaluru: Sixty-seven large trees along the inner ring road in Koramangala will be reduced to logs as the tree expert committee (TEC) has approved clearing the lush canopy to make way for the 2.5-km-long flyover between Ejipura and Kendriya Sadan Junction.

The approvals come at a time when the BBMP has engaged a new contractor to complete the flyover’s balance work, which was left hanging for over two years.

Last week, the TEC approved felling 67 trees and translocating 17 others on the premises of St John’s Medical College and Hospital, and retaining 12 trees without any harm. The committee made the decision after the BBMP’s projects cell sought permission for the clearance of 84 trees that fall in the project area of the elevated corridor. 

Nearly half of the trees slated for removal are rain trees, known for their broad branches that canopy the streets. These trees are facing the axe as the BBMP needs additional space to construct a portal frame for up and down ramps towards the BWSSB junction near St John’s Hospital. 

Engineers along with the assistant conservator of forest (ACF) and range forest officer (RFO) visited the spot earlier this month, following the BBMP’s request for felling these previous trees. The permission to axe the trees was given under Section 8 (3) of the Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act, 1976, and the order copy was uploaded to the BBMP’s website as per court instructions. 

The TEC said the engineers must provide quarterly progress reports about the translocated trees and compensatory saplings planted in lieu of every tree that was felled.