Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has allowed Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) to chop down 203 trees and relocate 45 trees along the metro route from Dooravani Nagar to Kempapura in the city for the larger public interest. The area needs to be cleared for constructing an elevated viaduct and stations along this stretch.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Prasanna Balachandra Varale and MJS Kamal passed this order while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by environmentalist T Dattatreya Deva. The petitioner had complained that the Karnataka Preservation Trees Act, 1976 provisions were not being implemented in projects.
BMRCL had passed an order on January 18, 2023 allowing felling of 203 trees and recommending relocation of 45 trees. Rejecting the petitioner's plea to undertake compensatory plantation nearest to the area where metro work is underway, the bench observed that there is not enough space for such kind of plantation in the urban area.
