<p>Days after the Supreme Court censured it for concealing facts in the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report for the peripheral ring road (PRR), the BDA has sought 25 acres of forest land in the Jarakabande Kavalu near Yelahanka for the project. </p>.<p>The Jarakabande forest has been the major lung space for thousands of people living in northern Bengaluru. Located far from the hustle and bustle of the city, the Jarakabande forest has been a popular destination for weekend visits. </p>.<p>About 100 metres of the eight-lane PRR will pass through the forest, for which the BDA has sought the diversion of 25 acres of forest land. The forest department has long had trouble in saving the forest land from the encroachers. </p>.<p>Interestingly, the EIA report states that only 3.7 acres of forest land will be needed for the project.</p>.<p>Asked about the inconsistency in the EIA report and the proposal submitted to the government, BDA Commissioner H R Mahadev, who took office recently, said: "Our latest stand is clear. We need 25 acres of land. I'm not aware of the details of the previous EIA. I will look into the issue." </p>.<p>A forest official who worked extensively at Jarakabande Kaval said that for the last 10 years, the department had been trying to bring the entire land under green cover. </p>.<p>"About 10,000 saplings have been planted in all the areas where the trees were few. The 35-acre tree park is also popular with visitors. The road will definitely affect the lives of animals in the forest where leopard movements have been noticed by locals," the official said. </p>.<p>The number of trees to be cut for the 65-km-long PRR, which will be the remaining half-ring of NICE Road, has also come under question.</p>.<p>While the BDA had claimed that only 200 trees will be cut, the forest department puts the number at over 16,000.</p>.<p>The revised DPR is expected to reveal many things that were concealed earlier. </p>
<p>Days after the Supreme Court censured it for concealing facts in the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report for the peripheral ring road (PRR), the BDA has sought 25 acres of forest land in the Jarakabande Kavalu near Yelahanka for the project. </p>.<p>The Jarakabande forest has been the major lung space for thousands of people living in northern Bengaluru. Located far from the hustle and bustle of the city, the Jarakabande forest has been a popular destination for weekend visits. </p>.<p>About 100 metres of the eight-lane PRR will pass through the forest, for which the BDA has sought the diversion of 25 acres of forest land. The forest department has long had trouble in saving the forest land from the encroachers. </p>.<p>Interestingly, the EIA report states that only 3.7 acres of forest land will be needed for the project.</p>.<p>Asked about the inconsistency in the EIA report and the proposal submitted to the government, BDA Commissioner H R Mahadev, who took office recently, said: "Our latest stand is clear. We need 25 acres of land. I'm not aware of the details of the previous EIA. I will look into the issue." </p>.<p>A forest official who worked extensively at Jarakabande Kaval said that for the last 10 years, the department had been trying to bring the entire land under green cover. </p>.<p>"About 10,000 saplings have been planted in all the areas where the trees were few. The 35-acre tree park is also popular with visitors. The road will definitely affect the lives of animals in the forest where leopard movements have been noticed by locals," the official said. </p>.<p>The number of trees to be cut for the 65-km-long PRR, which will be the remaining half-ring of NICE Road, has also come under question.</p>.<p>While the BDA had claimed that only 200 trees will be cut, the forest department puts the number at over 16,000.</p>.<p>The revised DPR is expected to reveal many things that were concealed earlier. </p>
