<p class="bodytext">The LPG crunch has had some unusual and disturbing consequences in some pockets of the city.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Over the past month, there have been two reports of alleged illegal tree felling. Witnesses claimed that the individuals involved are using them as firewood for cooking. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Activists and authorities worry that with the LPG crisis showing no signs of abatement, this could become more rampant if left unchecked. </p>.LPG crisis: Karnataka forest department halts firewood bulk auction as precaution.<p class="bodytext">In early April, a Kannada news channel reported that a darshini — Vijayalakshmi — on Bull Temple Road in Basavanagudi had employed contractors to bring down a large tree right in front of their establishment. Videos accessed by Metrolife show the chopped logs piled up near the entrance of the eatery. “When the news channel came and enquired, they found out that they did not have the necessary permissions to chop the tree,” said Guruprasad Rotti, secretary of the Heritage Basavanagudi Residential Welfare Forum. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Typically, when trees are felled due to safety reasons (after securing the relevant permits), the wood is immediately cleared and auctioned by the GBA. “In this case, the wood was lying on the premises for a long time,” Rotti stated. He also spotted cooks carrying some of the wood blocks into the restaurant. He added that there has been an increase in cases of tree felling in Basavanagudi. But whether they are all being used for firewood is unclear. “Some trees are 50-60 years old,” he noted. </p>.<p class="bodytext">In another incident, the Whitefield Citizens Ward Committee posted on X that paying guest accommodations in Whitefield’s Prashanth Layout Extension had resorted to similar measures to deal with the LPG crisis. “PG slums are taking Bengaluru back to the stone age, literally. They are now cutting roadside trees for firewood, and denuding the layout of greenery,” the post said. Accompanying images show tree stumps sticking out of a tarred road, make-shift stoves at different locations with logs piled up on the side, and a man carrying firewood on his bike. It was posted on April 17. </p>
<p class="bodytext">The LPG crunch has had some unusual and disturbing consequences in some pockets of the city.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Over the past month, there have been two reports of alleged illegal tree felling. Witnesses claimed that the individuals involved are using them as firewood for cooking. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Activists and authorities worry that with the LPG crisis showing no signs of abatement, this could become more rampant if left unchecked. </p>.LPG crisis: Karnataka forest department halts firewood bulk auction as precaution.<p class="bodytext">In early April, a Kannada news channel reported that a darshini — Vijayalakshmi — on Bull Temple Road in Basavanagudi had employed contractors to bring down a large tree right in front of their establishment. Videos accessed by Metrolife show the chopped logs piled up near the entrance of the eatery. “When the news channel came and enquired, they found out that they did not have the necessary permissions to chop the tree,” said Guruprasad Rotti, secretary of the Heritage Basavanagudi Residential Welfare Forum. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Typically, when trees are felled due to safety reasons (after securing the relevant permits), the wood is immediately cleared and auctioned by the GBA. “In this case, the wood was lying on the premises for a long time,” Rotti stated. He also spotted cooks carrying some of the wood blocks into the restaurant. He added that there has been an increase in cases of tree felling in Basavanagudi. But whether they are all being used for firewood is unclear. “Some trees are 50-60 years old,” he noted. </p>.<p class="bodytext">In another incident, the Whitefield Citizens Ward Committee posted on X that paying guest accommodations in Whitefield’s Prashanth Layout Extension had resorted to similar measures to deal with the LPG crisis. “PG slums are taking Bengaluru back to the stone age, literally. They are now cutting roadside trees for firewood, and denuding the layout of greenery,” the post said. Accompanying images show tree stumps sticking out of a tarred road, make-shift stoves at different locations with logs piled up on the side, and a man carrying firewood on his bike. It was posted on April 17. </p>