BENGALURU: The 2.2-km short tunnel between Esteem Mall and the Veterinary College will endanger 893 trees, according to the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA), triggering concerns among environmentalists over the impact on one of north Bengaluru’s green corridors.
A BDA official told TNIE that of the 893 trees to be affected, around 85% would be transplanted to university campus and BDA property. However, Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF), Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), Sudarshan said the BDA is yet to submit the complete application under Form-1, following which the department will examine the proposal and decide.
The alignment passes through ecologically important green spaces in the area, including the Veterinary College campus, Hebbal Tree Park, Hebbal Lake buffer and surrounding institutional campuses, which together function as biodiversity refuges within the city.
Independent researcher and environment educator Hareesha AS said, “The campuses along the alignment and nearby lakes act as islands for biodiversity and could have formed a nearly 10-km green corridor connecting birds, butterflies and other wildlife. Fragmentation through infrastructure projects has already weakened this connectivity.”
Ganesan, a scientist and botanist associated with the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), said transplantation of mature trees is often unsuccessful unless strict scientific
protocols are followed. “Transplantation is often done only for namesake. Most of these are mature trees that are not suitable for transplantation. They require species-specific assessment, root preparation and months of treatment before shifting, which is rarely followed,” Ganesan said.
The scientist added that uprooting trees using heavy machinery frequently damages roots and branches, drastically reducing survival rates. Compensatory plantations, he said, are often undertaken far from Bengaluru and cannot replace the ecosystem services of mature urban trees.
Hareesha warned that the loss of mature trees would intensify Bengaluru’s urban heat island effect. “The wooded campuses around Hebbal are typically 3-4 degrees Celsius cooler than surrounding built-up areas. Trees act as natural cooling systems through evapotranspiration while also sequestering carbon. Losing hundreds of mature trees will reduce that capacity,” he said.
Nature educator and long-time resident of Hebbal, Elizabeth S, said the high tree count itself reflected the ecological sensitivity of the this stretch of the project. “You would never find nearly 900 avenue trees along a typical 2 km Bengaluru road. The alignment passes through institutional campuses, the Hebbal Lake buffer and a tree park,” she said.