20 trees cut for road project in Mysuru

Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

Mysuru: In the garb of road widening, as many as 20 fully grown trees were axed at Vijayanagar Ist stage in Mysuru on Monday.

This incident occurred hardly a week after three gulmohar trees were cut for purportedly ensuring clear visibility for a private clinic in Yadavagiri in the city. In the latest incident, twenty trees have been cut from Abhishek Circle up to Kalidasa Road in Vijaynagar Ist stage on the ground that they came in the way of a road widening project.

Citizens are angry over the cutting of trees as the existing road is quite wide and did not have much traffic. There has been no coordination between the Public Works Department and Forest Department which resulted in the felling of 20 trees, said sources.

Parashuramegowda of Parisara Balaga said they were already seeing the effects of deforestation such as erratic weather conditions. The need of the hour is to save every tree. No one knows who gave the permission to cut the 20 trees.

He said the axed trees had been providing shelter to thousands of birds and now those birds have lost their only shelter. It is unfortunate that this has happened in Mysuru which is known for protecting natural resources. he said.

Both Mysuru Urban Development Authority and Mysuru City Corporation had sought permission from the forest department to axe 54 trees as part of road widening work in Vijayanagar First stage. But the permission was declined by the previous Deputy Conservator of Forests Prashanth Kumar. The incumbent DCF Kamala Kalikalan after receipt of the letter from MUDA and MCC seeking permission to cut 54 trees, had visited the spot. After the DCF’s visit, it was found that the road was quite spacious and hence permission would not be given to cut the trees.

Subsequently, the engineer concerned had approached the authorities to cut 27 trees which was also rejected. In the meantime, an Assistant Conservator of Forests who is also a tree officer might have been permitted to fell the trees, said sources adding that steps would be taken to plant 200 trees elsewhere.

Must grow 200 trees

According to the existing rules, MUDA & MCC must plant ten times of the total number of trees felled. In this case, they must plant 200 trees. Besides, they must pay Rs 373 for each tree and in total it would come to Rs 74,608. For clearing 500 meters area, they must deposit Rs 2.24 lakh.