Trees to be axed for Malleswaram railway station upgrade

Bengaluru: The BBMP issued a public notice on February 4 stating that the Southwestern Railway (SWR) has requested the felling of 63 trees at Malleswaram Railway Station as part of the station's modernisation under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (Phase 1).

However, the notice shocked Malleswaram residents.

Suchitra Deep, an architect and longtime resident, noted that citizen groups struggled to obtain information from the railways, which took months to respond. "They only presented the final plans and did not seek citizens' opinions on the matter," remarked Deep.

"The lack of transparency and coordination between agencies means that the modernisation effort will likely cause more trouble for the people. Even the entry and exit plans are not well thought out," added Deep.

According to the public notice, citizens have until February 14 to respond.

An SWR official told DH that the execution of Malleswaram Station ABSS Works is hindered by some small trees and plants. The necessary facilities include a 12-meter-wide Foot Over Bridge (FOB) with a lift and escalator for the specially abled, parking areas for two-wheelers and four-wheelers for the disabled, an extension of the platform for passenger safety due to its current insufficient width and length, and platform shelter provision for passengers.

When asked how many trees would be removed in the name of modernization, the official explained, "These trees are already numbered by K-Ride for suburban track provision (total 63) and are under processing for approval by the forest department. A few of these trees are urgently required to be removed," said the SWR.

The SWR also mentioned that it is pertinent to mention that only six trees with height more than three metres are present and maximum efforts have been amde to minimise the number of trees which are already in process for removal for KRIDE suburban track.

BLG Swamy, BBMP Deputy Conservator of Forests, was not available for comment.