Bengaluru's Cantonment project that may axe 368 trees aims to fund suburban rail
Bengaluru: Amidst a furore over a proposal to cut 368 trees on eight acres of land at
Cantonment Railway Colony
in the heart of the city for commercial activity, the authorities have said the venture is being taken up to fund the
Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project
(BSRP).
A public notice from BBMP on April 25 invited objections to the proposed tree felling, leaving many shocked over the silence that surrounded the envisaged development.
Sources in the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) said the commercial activity which is expected to fetch a one-time revenue of Rs 300 crore, is largely driven by financial constraints. With the Railways reportedly not in a position to contribute its 20% share for BSRP, RLDA decided to lease out the Cantonment land and channel 80% of the revenue to fund BSRP, the sources said.
Texworth Pvt Ltd in collaboration with Bagmane Developers, has won the bid for using the land for 60 years.
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A senior RLDA official told TOI, "Railways is leasing out the land for commercial development to meet the needs of Bengaluru city and as permitted under local bylaws. While the bid for the land is finalised, the purpose of the use of the land and what kind of development will take place is yet to be finalised. As Cantonment is a very old area, the development is certain to give rise to jobs and boost the economy of the state and country."
BBMP to consider objections
Meanwhile, objections are pouring in. BBMP's forest department confirmed that they have received a large number of public objections in the first six days of the 10-day window for responses.
The local body's deputy conservator of forests BLG Swamy said, "We have limited clarity on what kind of commercial activity has been planned. However, this is just the first round of consultation, and there is a long way to go. The tree expert committee (TEC) has not yet made recommendations on which trees are to be cut or retained. Public objections will be reviewed, and only after proper govt sanctions, the final number of trees to be felled will be determined."
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Online petition gets 6k signatures
An online petition, 'Halt Butchery of 368 Mature Trees at Cantonment Railway Station for Commercial Development', initiated by citizen group Heritage Beku on change.org gathered 6,876 signatures by Wednesday evening.
The petition reads, "An autocratic decision has been made to cut down 368 mature trees on this heritage railway land to facilitate a commercial project. Ignorance and misguided priorities saw us lose the signature arched platform at the railway station. This cannot be our fate yet again. The errant free reign of these development projects must be checked. Railways wants to take full control, utterly disregarding Bengaluru's desperate need for greenery and the citizens' pleas for sustainable development. We cannot stand by as more ecological butchery happens before our eyes."
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quote
My friends and I have fond memories of planting in the Cantonment area a few saplings we got from Cubbon Park and Lalbagh 15 years ago and it is disheartening even to think that these trees are going to be cut. We have been sending our objections to BBMP as doing away with nearly 400 trees is not a joke. The more of us write to the authorities, the greater is the probability that they will reconsider this harmful proposal. These trees are a vital part of Bengaluru's already shrinking green cover. Losing them means accelerating the acute water crisis, worsening air quality and ecological imbalance. We have just about a week to send in our objections and save these trees
-Alexander James, Cantonment area resident
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