Bengaluru: The Karnataka Road Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL) will axe more than 8,500 trees in Bengaluru to decongest traffic in the tech corridor in the city much to the chagrin of environmentalists.
Campaigning organisation Jhatkaa.org has collected more than 2,500 signatures demanding an immediate stay on felling of trees, some of which are as old as 80 years.
Jhatkaa.org has also called for proper and accessible public consultation to be held for all projects.
The existing two-lane and four-lane roads will be converted into four-lane and six-lane roads respectively along the stretch between Bannerghatta, Sarjapura, Mandur, Anekal and Whitefield.
Environmentalists point out that one of the reasons for the rise in air pollution in Bengaluru is the indiscriminate felling of trees across the city to make way for infrastructural projects.
“In just the past couple of years, air pollution has risen drastically in Bengaluru, with construction dust, garbage burning and the rise in private vehicles leading to more emissions. In the midst of this, the city’s old trees are a natural buffer and their loss for development projects will lead to worsening impact of climate change, not to mention the health effects of air pollution,” the petition reads.
The estimated cost of the project has been pegged at more than '2,000 crore and according to the petition the cost of the construction per km will be '8.44 crore.
The petition further points out to the fact that there has been zero public consultation and no detailed project report being prepared.
“Bengaluru has always been known as the Garden City. However, we are on the path to losing that tag due to unplanned real estate and road widening projects. We are moving backwards, destroying our green cover for a concrete jungle even as other countries realise the true meaning of development without sidelining the environment. We cannot let this happen,” goes the petition.
