BENGALURU: Agitated with the government's act of carving out a large portion of Turahalli forests into a tree park for the second time, the residents around the forest patches, from Kanakapura Road, Banashankari, Uttarahalli and Jayanagar staged a protest on Wednesday.
Over 100 people had gathered at Turahalli forests site with placards. The residents staged a protest demanding the state government reverse its order and not convert any existing forest patch into a tree park. The residents also submitted a memorandum to Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Sanjai Mohan.
The PCCF said that a public hearing will soon be held and that the proposal will be open for public objections.
Meanwhile, forest minister Arvind Limbavalli to a private channel said if people are against a tree park in Turahalli forests, then it will be shifted elsewhere if need be.
However, the minister refused to talk to The New Indian Express for any clarification on whether the project will be stalled or shifted to a revenue land or landfill, as the government had said earlier and based on what people are demanding.
Not convinced with the act of the state government, the residents have sent a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking his intervention to save Turahalli minor and reserve forest from becoming another Lal Bagh or Cubbon Park. In the memorandum, they have pointed out that the forests face a lot of threat of encroachment from private and government agencies.
Now the act of the making it a tree park will only lead to the destruction of healthy lung space. They also pointed out that already the forest department has made 40 acres of it a tree park and now no more damage should be done.