Khandre bats for govt approval if project needs felling of more than 50 trees

Bengaluru: Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre on Monday asked officials to frame new rules, making it compulsory to get government approval for cutting more than 50 trees for any project.

The move comes days after activists launched a campaign opposing the proposal to fell 368 old trees in the Bengaluru Cantonment Railway Colony to make way for the commercial development of the land.

In a letter to the Additional Chief Secretary of the Forest, Ecology and Environment Department, Khandre referred to a communication from former MLA AT Narayanaswamy, who had raised objections to the tree-felling proposal.

"Formulate rules so that any proposal involving the felling of more than 50 trees shall be brought to the notice of the forest minister and secure government approval before clearance," the minister wrote.

Until November 2020, the Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) conducted public hearings for proposals involving the felling of 50 trees or more.

However, this practice was discontinued, with officials citing that neither the law nor a related high court order mandated hearing, but only a public notice. Since then, citizens have had to register their objections in writing to the authorities.

In 2022, the government issued an order stripping the Forest Department of its jurisdiction over trees within the BBMP limits, except for reserved species like rosewood, teak, and sandalwood.

Consequently, the BBMP’s DCF now reports to the BBMP chief commissioner instead of the head of the Forest Department — a clear case of conflict of interest, activists have pointed out.