<p>The renewed felling of 233 trees in Ballari for road-widening is more than a local environmental issue. It reflects a deeper policy failure in Karnataka’s approach to development – one that increasingly views mature trees as obstacles rather than vital urban infrastructure. What makes this particularly disturbing is not merely the scale of the proposed destruction, but the manner in which it began. </p><p>Trees were reportedly felled during the night of April 24 without permission, before police and forest officials intervened to halt the exercise after 25 trees had already been cut down. Separate criminal cases have since been registered against Public Works Department (PWD) officials and contractors. Yet, despite the legal and public backlash, efforts to resume the felling continue.</p>.<p>This episode stands in stark contrast to the vision once championed by former Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde, under whose leadership the state consciously invested in avenue plantations and green highways. Roadside trees were treated not as ornamental additions, but as ecological assets essential for shade, temperature regulation, and public well-being. Today, however, the focus appears to have shifted from social forestry to project-driven felling. </p><p>While the Forest Department has suggested alternative engineering solutions, including remodelling road shoulders to preserve the trees, PWD officers argue that retaining them would obstruct drainage systems, pedestrian pathways, electricity infrastructure, and road signage. </p><p>Around the world, and even in parts of Chandigarh and Lutyens' Delhi, planners increasingly adopt “design-around” solutions such as split carriageways and permeable pavements that protect mature root systems instead of treating tree felling as the default option. This is especially important in Ballari, one of Karnataka’s hottest districts. The removal of large roadside trees could intensify the urban heat island effect and sharply increase surface temperatures.</p>.In hot city Ballari, PWD wants to axe 233 trees for road widening .<p>The controversy also raises troubling legal questions. Under the Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act, 1976, large-scale felling requires statutory scrutiny and public consultation. Whether such processes were meaningfully followed before 233 trees were marked for destruction remains unclear. </p><p>While the PWD has offered to cover the cost of compensatory afforestation, the Supreme Court has repeatedly observed that planting five or ten saplings for every tree cut is inadequate. A sapling cannot immediately replace the oxygen output, biodiversity value, or microclimatic cooling provided by a 50-year-old tree. </p><p>This tree-felling controversy must therefore compel Karnataka to rethink its development priorities. True progress lies not in widening roads at any ecological cost, but in designing infrastructure that respects and preserves natural assets built over generations.</p>
<p>The renewed felling of 233 trees in Ballari for road-widening is more than a local environmental issue. It reflects a deeper policy failure in Karnataka’s approach to development – one that increasingly views mature trees as obstacles rather than vital urban infrastructure. What makes this particularly disturbing is not merely the scale of the proposed destruction, but the manner in which it began. </p><p>Trees were reportedly felled during the night of April 24 without permission, before police and forest officials intervened to halt the exercise after 25 trees had already been cut down. Separate criminal cases have since been registered against Public Works Department (PWD) officials and contractors. Yet, despite the legal and public backlash, efforts to resume the felling continue.</p>.<p>This episode stands in stark contrast to the vision once championed by former Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde, under whose leadership the state consciously invested in avenue plantations and green highways. Roadside trees were treated not as ornamental additions, but as ecological assets essential for shade, temperature regulation, and public well-being. Today, however, the focus appears to have shifted from social forestry to project-driven felling. </p><p>While the Forest Department has suggested alternative engineering solutions, including remodelling road shoulders to preserve the trees, PWD officers argue that retaining them would obstruct drainage systems, pedestrian pathways, electricity infrastructure, and road signage. </p><p>Around the world, and even in parts of Chandigarh and Lutyens' Delhi, planners increasingly adopt “design-around” solutions such as split carriageways and permeable pavements that protect mature root systems instead of treating tree felling as the default option. This is especially important in Ballari, one of Karnataka’s hottest districts. The removal of large roadside trees could intensify the urban heat island effect and sharply increase surface temperatures.</p>.In hot city Ballari, PWD wants to axe 233 trees for road widening .<p>The controversy also raises troubling legal questions. Under the Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act, 1976, large-scale felling requires statutory scrutiny and public consultation. Whether such processes were meaningfully followed before 233 trees were marked for destruction remains unclear. </p><p>While the PWD has offered to cover the cost of compensatory afforestation, the Supreme Court has repeatedly observed that planting five or ten saplings for every tree cut is inadequate. A sapling cannot immediately replace the oxygen output, biodiversity value, or microclimatic cooling provided by a 50-year-old tree. </p><p>This tree-felling controversy must therefore compel Karnataka to rethink its development priorities. True progress lies not in widening roads at any ecological cost, but in designing infrastructure that respects and preserves natural assets built over generations.</p>
