Felling of 561 trees: A Daylight Highway Robbery!

By Dr. K. Javeed Nayeem

The recent news that 561 roadside trees are proposed to be razed in and around the city to widen roads, comes as a rude shock to all Mysureans who are concerned about the well-being of the city and its environment.

It may be noted here that exactly a year ago, forty fully grown and most beautiful Copperpod trees were swiftly felled in the cover of darkness in just one night, in the very heart of the city.

And, when there was a big hue and cry the next morning from outraged citizens, their sentiments were attempted to be assuaged by quickly announcing that a proper departmental enquiry would be held and all those responsible for this senseless act would be brought to book.

But with public memory and public anger being very short lived, time passed quietly until the government announced, in a rather feeble voice, a few months later, that an enquiry had been conducted which had justified the tree felling and road widening there, as being necessary for the development of the city.

So, the matter ended there, with all those who enriched themselves by their brutal and selfish act, heaving a sigh of relief. Close on the heels of this sad event, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has now sought an approval from the forest department to go ahead with this latest project of tree felling to widen roads.

Thankfully, this time, in what is most certainly only a cosmetic exercise, the public had been given a chance to file any objections to this proposal, within just two days, which is just too short a time for citizens to react. That is why only about two thousand objections were received in the prescribed time limit. It is a foregone conclusion that these few responses will be counted as being too insignificant, in a city with a population of more than fifteen lakhs and will therefore be tossed into the waste-paper bin. The completion of this formality will then automatically give the go ahead for the senseless tree felling that will follow.

As we have all seen in the past, from across our country, this business of inviting public opinion is only a routine and prescribed formality that is enshrined in the protocol of the NHAI, which has to be necessarily gone through before undertaking any such work, to avoid protracted litigations later.

The most important question that has to be asked and addressed in the present scenario here in our city is whether we need such a drastic widening of roads by sacrificing such a huge number of trees?

And, this introspection has to be done not just from the point of view of the NHAI but also from that of all other agencies and most importantly the ordinary citizens who dwell here. We have to consider not only the environmental impact of this action but also how it will affect the beauty of our city. We must remember that Mysuru, which has one of the richest and most ancient heritages in the entire country, is not just any other city of a recent origin, that can be meddled with thoughtlessly.

If you take a drive along all the road stretches that are now being proposed to be widened, as I have done, you will realize that they really do not need such drastic surgery. For instance, there is no disputing the fact that we need a flyover at the Manipal Hospital junction because that is the point that is experiencing the worst traffic pileups these days. But beyond a simple structure like what we have at the Hinkal junction, on Hunsur road, we do not need any real widening of any of the roads leading to or away from it. They are already very wide and good enough to accommodate any growth in traffic there at least for the next twenty-five years.

All that needs to be done in the next few years, is to make the Bengaluru Road passing between the St. Philomena’s College and the Bannimantap Ground, a one way for all vehicles exiting the city. Similarly, the road passing between the St. Philomena’s College and the Subashnagar Extension can be made a one way for all vehicles entering the city.

If this is done, not a single tree needs to be chopped on either of these two stretches. The huge Raintrees on the former road are so old,and majestic that it would be nothing short of a crime to think of cutting them down for any reason, let alone for road widening which is not an absolute need there.

Incidentally, almost all the incredibly beautiful Gul Mohur trees that once stood along the latter stretch were sacrificed when it was widened a few years ago, now leaving it wider than what we will ever need, at any time, even in the distant future.

So, this matter needs much discussion between bodies of citizens, stakeholders, administrators and city planners before we proceed further. Taking the shortest and easiest way out is not the way to do it. There are better options that will become visible only if we are willing to put our minds together.

There have been murmurs from some quarters, of relocating all the trees now proposed to be felled, to other suitable places. But all this is only wishful thinking, to quell the disquiet that is now becoming apparent and we will certainly not see it happening in real life.

Relocating trees is indeed possible and it is now being done across the world, and even in our country, with varying degrees of success. It has been done even in Bengaluru, while building some stretches of the Metro line. But it is limited only to trees of a reasonable size, with a maximum root ball of about five feet in diameter. Beyond this is clearly an almost impossible task.

Even giant trees although seemingly very tough, are very delicate and precious living beings. I don’t think anyone who favours this proposal of relocation, can show us even one example of giant, centuries old trees, like the ones we have along our Bannimantap road, having been successfully relocated, en masse, which are surviving now, anywhere around us.

As far as my knowledge goes, an attempt was made by the Rotary Royal Club more than fifteen years ago, to relocate a giant banyan tree, here in our city and I even wrote about this unique project in this column. It was done with Herculean efforts and great determination, at a great cost, by the club members, employing excavators and huge cranes. But the giant that was relocated to the fertile fringes of the Lingambudhi Lake, with great effort, just did not survive, despite the best care that it was given.

Now, with that being the sad fate of just one displaced tree, how can anyone vouch for the safety and survival of 561 relocated trees? Do think about it!

e-mail: kjnmysore@rediffmail.com