BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court on Thursday directed the Department of Forestry, University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), GKVK, to submit the report within three weeks in relation to translocation or removal of trees for construction of the metro line in city.A division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Nataraj Rangaswamy appointed the Department of Forestry, UAS, GKVK, as the third agency to examine the matter, after hearing the PIL filed by Dattatreya T Devare.
The bench directed the department of forestry to suggest whether all 59 trees can be saved or translocated scientifically and also to examine whether trees which have already been moved have been translocated scientifically.
After the removal of 161 trees for the metro line following the order passed by the Tree Authority last May, 59 trees remain. The committee of experts recommended that 55 of 59 trees could be translocated and 4 could be cut. The petitioners objected, saying that BMRCL indiscriminately cut the trees even after it was informed about the hearing of the case by the court.
Taking note of it, the bench had directed the state as well as BMRCL to suggest a third agency to examine the matter. They suggested department of forestry, GKVK and it was accepted by the court. The court asked the agency to complete the work entrusted to it at the earliest. The bench ordered the agency to look into the recommendations made by the experts committee and the objections raised by the petitioners. The bench directed BMRCL to bear the charges to be paid to the agency.