The Karnataka High Court has refused any new tree-felling or translocation permission for Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) till a status report on the condition of alternative plants, trees the agency is supposed to have planted earlier is filed.
A quarterly report on the condition of compensatory plantation and dislocation of trees had to be filed before the HC on Monday as per the court's August 24 order.
A division bench headed by acting Chief Justice Alok Aradhe today directed the Bengaluru civic agency Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) tree officer and the Deputy Conservator of Forests to file a status report within two weeks.
The report will investigate the condition of plants the BMRCL has planted in lieu of trees taken down for the Metro project so far.
The court is hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by environmentalist Dattatreya Devare and the Bangalore Environment Trust. The PIL has sought implementation of the Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act, and the Karnataka Preservation of Trees Rules.
The advocate for the petitioners told the court that BMRCL has not followed the earlier HC directives on afforestation and has 'failed' to provide information about planting new saplings as an alternative.
{{/usCountry}}The advocate for the petitioners told the court that BMRCL has not followed the earlier HC directives on afforestation and has 'failed' to provide information about planting new saplings as an alternative.
{{/usCountry}}The court observed that neither the government advocate nor the BBMP advocate was providing necessary information on the issue. It asked if plants had survived the heavy rains witnessed in the city in last few days.
The BMRCL had sought permission for felling 382 trees and translocation of another 29 trees. But the HC said it was not permitting any new tree cutting till it was informed of what happened to the saplings already planted.