BANGALORE: Planting and maintaining seedlings and supplying free saplings are some of the measures listed in an action plan submitted by BBMP’s co-ordination committee, for 2014-15, before the High Court on Monday.
The action plan was submitted in connection with a PIL initiated suo motu by the court, in 2011, on the issue of indiscriminate felling of trees for widening roads.
The committee, headed by the Chief Conservator of Forests aims to plant 1.6 lakh saplings using BBMP funds. In addition, the Forest wing also plans to maintain 1.77 lakh seedlings planted during 2012-13.
However, Amicus curiae Vaishali Hegde submitted that BBMP’s budget does not provide for planting fresh saplings in 2014-2015. The Palike also faces shortage of staff as only five range forest officers are available as against the required eight. Field staff do not receive travel allowance, she added.
The division bench comprising Chief Justice D H Waghela and Justice H G Ramesh directed the counsel representing BBMP to go through the report filed by the Amicus curiae and adjourned the next hearing to Friday.
The BBMP said it is planning to plant around two lakh new seedlings every year for the next five years.
Free Seedlings
The action plan also says the BBMP is committed to providing free seedlings to individuals willing to plant them in public or private spaces. Around two lakh seedlings are ready. In order to bring in better transparency, it is also proposed to place data of all future planting activities on the BBMP website.