Karnataka High Court halts tree felling for Command Hospital expansion

Bengaluru: The High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday issued an interim order preventing authorities from felling any trees for the expansion of Command Hospital, Bengaluru.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice NV Anjaria and Justice MI Arun passed the order while hearing an interlocutory application (IA) filed by the petitioner in a PIL concerning tree felling for various infrastructure projects.

The PIL was filed by environmentalist Dattatraya T Devare, who sought the formation of a committee or task force to ensure that tree officers and the tree authority perform their duties in compliance with the Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act and the Karnataka Preservation of Trees Rules.

During the hearing, the petitioner’s advocate informed the court about a proposal to expand facilities at Command Hospital, which involves the felling of 530 trees within the hospital premises.

The advocate mentioned that the division bench had previously constituted an expert committee in the same petition, making it mandatory for any proposal to cut trees to be reviewed by the committee.

"(A total of) 530 trees are proposed to be cut in the heart of the city. They are expanding the hospital. The reasons are genuine, and we have no objections to the development. It is only the process that needs to be followed as laid out by this court, and breach of Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act,” the advocate argued.

The advocate further submitted that the Office Memorandum (OM) issued by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) regarding the matter does not mention the high court-appointed expert committee’s order, nor does it include details of translocation and compensatory plantation as required.

The bench directed the authorities to respond to the IA filed by the petitioners and issued an interim order stating, "Till further orders, there shall be no cutting of trees."