BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court on Thursday directed the experts’ committee constituted by the state government to process applications submitted for felling of trees.
The division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Mohammad Nawaz issued this direction during the hearing of the PIL filed by Dattatreya T Devare and others. The bench also directed the committee to submit the procedure it intends to follow to consider the applications for felling of trees on September 13. The expert committee must examine if trees proposed to be felled can be saved by adopting alternate methods. If it is impossible to save the trees, only then should felling be allowed.
The committee, which was constituted for Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts, consists of former IFS officer IB (chairman), Mutthukumara, Ganeshan Rengayi (Members), Assistant Conservator of Forests of BBMP (Member Secretary).
Committee will lay down procedures so tree officer can place the application before it. The next hearing is on September 17.