BENGALURU: A large number of city residents held a candlelight vigil at 6.30 pm at Sarvodaya ABC Centre on Wednesday. They were protesting against the tree cutting planned at Govt Veterinary College Campus on Queen’s Road.
Tree experts say the premises is a mini-forest with nearly 100 trees in the compound. Some of these trees are over 100 years old and set to be chopped down.
A protester said, “IISC says we need 7 trees per people at the minimum to have clean air to breathe. We have 7 people per tree and the ratio is only getting worse. Bengaluru is the second worst city in India as far as air quality is concerned. Brazil has 9,000 trees per person.”
“It’s not just about 100 trees. We need to give our children a city they can live in without wearing a pollution mask. Bengaluru is losing about 30,000 to 50,000 trees per year,” he added.