Vision group with experts needed for sustainable growth of city: Mysureans

Mysuru: At a time when Mysuru is heading towards becoming greater Mysuru, several people of all age groups from different organisations, environmentalists and Mysureans voiced their concerns to prevent Mysuru from becoming second Bengaluru with threat to its green cover and the rich biodiversity for proposed developmental projects.

They all gathered early in the morning on Sunday for a public meeting held at Basheer Ahmed park at Siddique nagar in Mysuru to explore ways to save 350 trees proposed to be cleared for Flyover at Bengaluru Mysuru express way and Mysuru Ring road junction.

State President of State Raitha Sangha Badagalapura Nagendra urged State Government to come up with a vision group with experts to plan for systematic constructive sustainable growth of Mysuru by protecting its green wealth and its original heritage nature and beauty. People should develop environment conscious and come together and voice to protect natural wealth of Mysuru, he said.

Reited Major General Sudhir G Vombatkere said, "Maharaja Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar who ruled over Mysuru between 1894 to 1940 was a visionary in many senses. Even today, 88-years after his passing, successive generations of Mysureans cherish the values which he propagated. Nalwadi’s visionary policy viewed tree planting as essential to public welfare. He focused on enhancing green cover, decades before modern environmentalism became mainstream. He encouraged citizens to treat trees as natural assets. His legacy is evident in the tree-lined avenues of Mysuru and lakes surrounded by green cover. In 1903, Nalwadi created the City Improvement Trust Board (CITB) for urban development planning, include tree-lined roads as a key component."

"Following Independence between 1976 and 1988 industrialization was the focus of development. Even so, successive governments of Karnataka understood Nalwadi’s vision, that development should protect green cover for public benefit. Thus, Chief Minister D Devaraj Urs, steered enactment of the Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act, 1976. This act was clear and unequivocal expression of Nalwadi’s vision. It was far-seeing because it included mitigating the extremes of climate, when climate change itself was little understood. CITB’s successor MUDA (1988) continued this green heritage vision, with a 'Green Mysuru' policy and focused on increasing green cover through tree planting, to compensate for urban development, and encouraging community participation. MUDA also planned initiatives including planting over 25,000 saplings annually. As the years rolled by, Mysuru managed to retain much of its green heritage precincts of lakes and trees, thanks to the unremitting initiatives of residents (often led by activist NGOs and voluntary bodies) who are the recipients and custodians of Nalwadi’s green vision," Vombatkere added.

"Rather than insisting upon development by constructing flyovers and widening roads to enable faster movement of Motor Vehicles at the cost of cutting trees, government should protect Mysuru’s green heritage and increase its green cover in accordance with Nalwadi’s vision, Government’s own Karnataka Tree Protection Act 1976 and make Mysuru Great Again," Vombatkere urged.

Environmentalist Pavithra Mohan, said, "We have to protect rich biodiversity with so many species of trees planted in our cities like Mysuru in our Country, which is rare to find other parts of the world."

Members of Parisarakkaagi Naavu led by Parashuramegowda, Activists Retired Prof Kalchannegowda, Sudhir Vombatkere, Ravi Bale, Bhanu Prashanth, Environment activists like Sanjay Dattatri, Bhanu Mohan, Leela Venkatesh, Vishwanath, Sindhuvalli Akar, Gantaiah, Hosakote Basavaraj, Marankaiah, Fayaz Ahmed, Sara Mishra of Reap Foundation and others participated. Members of several organisations like Team Mysuru participated.

When contacted, MCC Commissioner Shaikh Tanveer Asif said that they will plan to form a vision group with experts and urban planners towards planning the growth of city, after the final notification of greater Mysuru.