Bulldozers in Bengaluru Cantonment railway land raise fears over tree felling
BENGALURU: Cantonment Railway land woke to the sound of bulldozers on Sunday, making enviornmentalists apprehensive, a few days after the state government withdrew its notification declaring the site as a Biodiversity Heritage Site. According to Parisarakkagi Naavu, a group of enviornmentalists who were in the forefront in protecting the trees, bulldozers were brought to the site days after the government rolled back the notification. While officials have maintained that no permission has been granted for tree-felling, activists say the presence of machinery itself is alarming. The 8.61-acre land parcel is home to 368 mature trees, some over 70 years old, supporting birds, small wildlife and a naturally evolved ecosystem. Following public opposition, including over 15,000 written objections, the state government had approved the area as a Biodiversity Heritage Site on September 10. However, the notification was withdrawn on December 6. When questioned, the officials cited that the land belongs to the Indian Railways and that the Centre had not been consulted and hence the notification was withdrawn, said Parvathi Srirama, State General Secretary, Parisarakkagi Navu. This rollback is deeply worrying, said Mahesh Basapur, Secretary, Parisarakkaagi Naavu. Declaring a site as a heritage space and then withdrawing it without a clear explanation raises serious questions. These are not ornamental trees but decades-old, biodiverse trees. Once this land is lost, Bengaluru will never get back such a green space in the heart of the city. Parvathi said that compensatory plantation cannot justify the loss. Planting saplings cannot replace a 70 or 80-year-old tree. Bengalurus climate is already deteriorating. Cutting these trees will only worsen heat, water stress and air quality, she said, adding that citizens are prepared to protest and approach the courts if required. Environmentalists have questioned the logic of rolling back biodiversity protection on jurisdictional grounds. Whether the land belongs to the State or the Centre should not matter once its ecological value has been recognised, said Vinod Jacob, environmentalist and urban strategist. This is one of the last remaining lung spaces in the CantonmentShivajinagarBamboo Bazaar stretch, an area that is already heavily overcrowded. Jacob also flagged concerns over reports of proposed multi-storey construction on the land. Questions of water availability, traffic, parking and biodiversity loss have not been answered. Development should focus on restoring dilapidated structures nearby, not destroying established green cover, he said.
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