ROAD TO PERDITION: Trees encircled by tar

BBMP contractors endanger trees while asphalting Benson Cross Rd

Y. Maheshwara Reddy | NT

Residents and environmentalists are up in arms against Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s apathy to save trees and saplings in the city. While the BBMP’s Forest Department plants saplings, the BBMP’s Roads Department is damaging them by engaging contractors to asphalt the roads in the city.

Residents of Benson Town and environmentalists were shocked to see workers covering the space around the trees and saplings with bitumen, while asphalting Benson Cross Road. It seems that neither the contractor nor the workers engaged for asphalting have bothered to leave the much needed space around the trees and saplings.

“Everything around the tree’s base is hard scraped. Trees need water. In a couple of years these magnificent trees will die and fall over. They have to open up the asphalt at least for 12 inches around the base of the trees so that water can percolate into the ground to allow the trees to grow,” said Sindhu Menon, a resident of Benson Town.

Lamenting over the damage done to the saplings while asphalting the road, Sindhu said that she had nurtured the saplings for three years. “Two of them got damaged by the earth moving machine. Only two survived. The BBMP cannot do such shoddy and careless work and kill our trees in the bargain. The saplings have been choked. The base of the saplings need to be opened up to allow them to grow,” she said.

Condemning the damage caused to the trees and saplings on Benson Cross Road, Vijay Nishanth, also known as a Tree Doctor, has said that covering the space around the trees and saplings with bitumen needs to stop and the BBMP Chief Commissioner should immediately issue a notice to the contractor concerned to prevent choking of trees in future.

“What is the use of the BBMP authorities claiming to have planted lakhs of saplings if they fail to act tough against the contractors responsible for choking trees and saplings?” he said.
Coming down heavily on the BBMP authorities for damaging the trees and saplings, a resident, on the condition of anonymity, has blamed the BBMP ward engineer for being negligent. “It is the responsibility of the BBMP ward engineer to supervise asphalting work. I think the engineer concerned was not on the spot when the road was asphalted. Where was he?” the resident asks.

However, Mohammed Javed, BBMP assistant executive engineer has said that he would visit the spot soon and ensure space around the trees and saplings for percolation of rainwater.

Meanwhile, the BBMP Deputy Conservator of Forests has blamed the BBMP engineer for not leaving space around the saplings and trees on Benson Cross Road. “I have already raised the issue of damage caused by the BBMP Roads Division and Bengaluru Smart City Limited to the roadside trees and saplings. I have appealed to the BBMP Chief Commissioner to issue a circular directing the BBMP engineers and BSCL authorities to take measures to avoid damage to the trees and saplings,’’ the BBMP DCF said.