Karnataka High Court asks government to clarify if Lalbagh trees will be felled for twin-tunnel road project

The officials have cordoned areas for acquisition and are attempting to engage in tree felling and excavation.

The Karnataka High Court on Saturday asked the state government to inform by Tuesday as to whether there is any proposal to fell trees inside Lalbagh Botanical Garden for the proposed 16.7 km Bangalore Twin Tunnel Road project. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C M Poonacha orally asked the government advocate to clarify the position on allegations of proposal to cut trees inside the botanical garden.

The bench was hearing two public interest petitions filed by Dr Adikesavalu Ravindra and theater personality Prakash Belawadi. The petitions are filed challenging the July 14, 2025 tender notification issued by the state government and the BBMP (now Greater Bengaluru Authority - GBA) pertaining to the project.

During the hearing, Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya, who appeared as counsel for one of the petitioners Prakash Belawadi, submitted that trees inside Lalbagh are under threat as around 6.5 acres inside Lalbagh area has been demarcated. He further said that already the ingress and egress of public is restricted inside the park. He further submitted that a rock formation, which is millions of years old and also a protected monument, is under threat.

At this stage, the bench sought response from the government advocate regarding the apprehension about cutting of trees inside the park and asked her to verify if there is any proposal to cut the trees. The government advocate informed that one of the PILs was posted to December 9 for further hearing. The bench said that both the petitions may be tagged while asking the government to clarify by Tuesday only on the proposal to cut the trees inside the park. The bench while posting the matter to October 28, also ordered notice to the GBA, the Geological Survey of India in the fresh PIL filed by Prakash Belawadi.

According to the petition filed by Belawadi, the officials have inspected Lalbagh in the first week of October. They had cordoned areas for acquisition and are attempting to engage in tree felling and excavation. The petition said the rock formation is 3-billion-year-old geological (rock) and if the project continues it becomes irreversible. The petitioner said that an expert committee report, filed in May 2025, had identified catastrophic gaps including absence of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), aquifer damage risks and flood hazards. According to the petitioner, this report was deliberately withheld from the public and the tender process began in July 2025. The petition also contended that the project would drastically affect Bengaluru’s groundwater and borewell recharges.

The other petition, filed by Adikesavalu Ravindra, Vinod Vyasulu and NS Mukunda, all residents of Bengaluru city, alleged that the authorities have not sought an approval of the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority and the Bengaluru Metropolitan Planning Committee, making the project constitutionally and statutorily infirm. They further said the tunnel road is only for cars and taxis while two-wheelers, autorickshaws and buses are altogether barred, which creates an arbitrary classification among similarly placed urban commuters.