Signal-free corridor’s axe falls on 10 fully grown trees at Old Airport Road

Protests erupted during the weekend over the axing of the trees at the Old Airport Road–Suranjan Das Road junction. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT  

The axing of 10 fully grown trees at the Old Airport Road–Suranjan Das Road junction during the weekend has triggered protests and online petitions by citizens and green activists.

The trees were axed to make way for an underpass, a part of the controversial Old Airport Signal-free Corridor Project.

The BBMP had a justification for axing the trees: It had the go-ahead from the expert committee set up on the directions of the Karnataka High Court to fell a total of 25 trees. But dubbing the Palike’s action as indiscriminate and opaque, citizens were upset that they had no clue about the panel’s green signal.

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For several old-time residents of HAL, the sight of the trees with a large, spread out canopy axed and dumped on the roadside came as a big shocker. They wondered why alternatives were not explored to save the trees. Many even questioned the need for an underpass and the signal-free corridor.

Those who assembled for a protest at the site on Monday complained that the expert panel’s recommendations to the Palike were not placed in the public domain for objections.

Swathi Damodaran, who lives within a kilometre from the site, said she was devastated to see the trees gone.

“Where was the need to cut them? They are our green treasure and are so crucial to maintaining the environment. I totally object to this,” she said.

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The Palike, however, maintained that it was not required by law to make the expert committee’s recommendations public.

An online petition by activist Vinod J observed: “Trees have been felled at HAL Junction for an underpass where the roads are already wide enough. These trees are more than 50 years old and have a huge girth of 4-5 metres. They could have been left alone since the roads are wide enough and better design and signals would solve the problem in this junction.”

The underpass, the petition said, will not solve the problem.

“The trees gave huge cover and respite from the sun. The green cover was a big relief for the lakhs of commuters who use the road daily.”

Rain trees cut down

Of the 32 trees originally identified for felling, 25 are rain trees that live for about 100 years.

The rest are Copper Pods with an estimated life span of about 40 years. Once all the trees are taken away, the underpass work will gather pace.