Turahalli forest is under threat, allege residents
BENGALURU: Turahalli, a 600-acre protected forest located off Kanakapura Road, is facing threats from the construction workers and the longtime residents of the nearby villages, allege the residents residing near the forest.
According to the residents, until about three years ago, encroachment of lands inside the forest and littering were rampant. That is when the people residing in the apartments around the forest, in coordination with the forest department, began efforts to stop such activities and simultaneously began plantation drives too. As a result, such offences have come down now. But, residents say several construction workers, camped around the forest, are allegedly chopping the forest’s trees for firewood.
“Construction workers who have camped around the forest cut the trees for firewood. There are only 2 or 3 guards on patrol and they cannot take care of the entire 600 acres. Many workers chop trees as they look dry. Construction firms should provide the firewood to the workers,” a resident of an apartment near the forest said. Another resident said, “Villagers from around the forest regularly celebrate festivals inside the forest. As they have been following these practices since a long time, we do not stop them. Instead we try to educate them to not cause any harm to the forest,” the resident said.
However, ACF Ravindra Kumar claimed that construction workers only took the fallen, dried up branches from the forest, which was allowed.