BENGALURU: In order to ensure transparency, the Karnataka High Court on Wednesday directed the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to upload details of the permission given to fell or translocate trees, on its website.
A division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice S Vishwajith Shetty passed the order after hearing the public interest litigation filed by Dattatraya T Devare and Bangalore Environment Trust, seeking directions to implement the provisions of Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act.
While reviewing the permission granted by a tree officer to fell trees for BMRCL’s project, the bench said the BBMP tree officer must ensure that after granting permission to fell trees, its details and the application seeking permit should immediately be uploaded on the website.
“The officer should ensure that a public notice is also published, inviting objections if any. Before granting permission to cut trees, the officer should inform the court whether he is willing to follow the entire procedure,” the bench said.
Meanwhile, the counsel of BMRCL said it has to bear a loss of Rs 85 lakh per day and approximately Rs 20 crore per month for delay in implementing the project and ultimately it is a loss to the public exchequer. Further hearing was adjourned to November 23, 2020.