"This is nothing but a mindless act; such indiscriminate chopping of trees for development activities is a crime," thundered Suresh Heblikar, noted environmentalist and one of the city's most vocal voices on saving trees.
Speaking to City Express about the graveyard of chopped trees at the M.N.Krishna Rao Park, he said: "It is shocking to note that urban planners give very little weightage to the soft infrastructure of the city. Their lopsided understanding of development that only concrete infrastructure make up the city, is so fundamentally flawed."
According to the environmentalist, it is high time, that Bangaloreans debate and indulge in some self introspection on sustainable development of the city.
Connecting to the recent rise in summer temperatures of the city, Heblikar lashed out, "Bangalore had always been known for its pleasant climate. With every passing year, the temperature is increasing. Do the politicians and the bureaucrats ever think why this is happening?"
It is a known ecological fact that trees absorb solar radiation and convert it into bio-chemical energy, thereby reducing the temperature. "In the past 10 years, the city had lost 60 per cent of its tree cover to various development activities. The result is the increased temperatures we suffer from," he said.
Besides, in the name of urban beautification, the exposed earth is now covered with asphalt. "Previously it was exposed earth that used to absorb the heat. Now with the many acres of asphalt in place, we only have the heat getting reflected, which is rising the temperature," he added.