BMRCL denied permission for tree-felling till compensatory plantation report
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.
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.
The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation has been denied permission for tree felling until a status report on compensatory plantation is submitted. (AFP)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.
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