
BENGALURU: Fearing the loss of 186 trees in their premises, along with the destruction of an old age home and school for the differently abled, All Saints’ Church authorities along with other concerned citizens submitted a petition to the civic agency on April 8. The letter lists out 13 species of trees, including Purple Jacaranda, Tamarind, Silver Oak and African Sausage, which will be lost due to the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation’s (BMRCL) proposed Phase-2 line from Gottigere to Nagawara. Petitioners say the church, located near Vellara Junction, is one of the few remaining lung spaces in the area, with some of the trees here being 150 years old.
“The rest of this area is a concrete jungle, except for the trees in the church premises. Keeping the environment in mind, we submitted this petition to the forest department of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to prevent loss of heritage trees. We want Namma Metro to find an alternative to prevent felling of the 186 trees,” said Franklin KS, a member of the All Saints' Church and an environmental activist.
A resident of the area, who was also one of the signatories in the petition, Peter Samson, said, “We are not anti-development or anti-Metro but we want to protect what is left of the city’s environment. If we keep allowing axing of trees for Metros, flyovers and elevated corridors, what will be left for the future generation to breathe?”
Samson added, “Development has to be sustainable and Metro can do it. They managed to go underground in Phase-1 from Cubbon Park to Central College station without disturbing any trees in the park.”
The letter was submitted to Chola Raju, BBMP Deputy Conservator of Forests.
Raju told CE that they will hold a public consultation with BMRCL, BBMP, church members and other citizens over trees that are marked for cutting. “Until then, we will not give any permission to Metro to cut trees on this entire section. The consultation may either be held right after voting ends in Karnataka or after the model code of conduct is no longer in place. We are yet to work out the dates. A call can be taken on the trees after the public consultation,” he said.