Latest news with #KarnatakaTreePreservationAct
The Hindu
3 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
Praja Soudha came up after 326 trees were felled in 2018
Incidentally, plantation drive for this rainy season began in the city on World Environment Day on the premises of Praja Soudha, a newly opened complex of government offices, for whose construction 326 trees were felled in 2018. The Tree Officer, through an order, had allowed Dakshina Kannada district administration to cut down 202 trees for the project which has come up on 5.89 acres at Padil. The permission was not required to cut down another 124 trees. Getting permission to fell them was exempted under Section 8 of the Karnataka Tree Preservation Act. The Forest Department officials had cut the trees on January 10, 2018 amid police security as green activists had opposed their felling. The officials first cut down 124 trees on the project site and later felled the remaining 202 trees. Of the 10.09 acres of land that belong to the Karnataka State Forest Industries Corporation (KSFIC) at Padil, the government transferred 5.89 acres to the Revenue Department on November 14, 2014 for the project. The Tree Officer passed the order after conducting a public hearing on January 4, 2018, on an application by the Deputy Commissioner seeking permission to cut down trees for the project. This application was filed following the dismissal on December 20, 2017 of the petition filed by an activist before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) challenging the move to cut down trees for the project. Praja Soudha was inaugurated last month.
The Hindu
28-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Mysuru: Environmentalists seek amendment to Karnataka Tree Preservation Act
Underlining lacunae in the Karnataka Tree Preservation Act in vogue in the State, an action committee to Save Environment (Parisara Ulivigagi Kriya Samithi), an umbrella organisation of various environmental groups in the city, has urged the government to make suitable amendments to strengthen it. In a letter addressed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, members of the group led by activist Parashurame Gowda have called for abrogation of the clause that indemnifies government officials by providing a degree of protection from legal proceedings arising from their actions under the said Act. In addition, the powers to permit tree felling should be revoked from the Deputy Conservator of Forests and vested with officials of the rank of CF or above, said the letter. The environmentalists also called for declaration of a green zone around Chamundi Hills, Kukkarahalli Lake, Lingambudhi Lake etc and sought a ban on tree felling in a radius of 2 km to 5 km from these natural ecosystems. Calling for a long-term vision for road widening and other linear infrastructure works, the Government was asked to take up afforestation three years ahead of scheduled civic works which entail tree felling. Underlining the imperatives of the involvement of local people on environmental conservation issues, the Chief Minister was urged to appoint four senior persons, who are also interested in environment conservation, to the Tree Authority by bringing in a suitable amendment to the Tree Preservation Act. Members of the Committee said that it should be made compulsory to take permission of the Tree Authority in future to fell trees more than 10 years old within a radius of 5 km of a city or town. The amendment to the Act should ensure that all land - be it private or government land including gomal land, be brought under the purview of the Authority. Pointing out that at present the Tree Authority existed only on paper and it was inactive, the Committee suggested to the Chief Minister to revamp it and constitute new tree authorities at the ward level. The government was urged to identify trees that were on the verge of collapse and ensure that new saplings are planted ahead of their felling for public safety. In a bid to address the growing population of Mysuru and the accompanying vehicular density, the government was urged to develop satellite centres to decongest the existing city. The letter to the CM is a fallout of the tree felling incident in which 40 trees, each more than 40 years, was axed on the Hyder Ali Road for widening it and which triggered outrage among the public.
The Hindu
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Tree felling in Mysuru: inquiry clears officials of wrongdoing
An official inquiry ordered by the Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre into the felling of 40 trees on the Hyder Ali Road in Mysuru, has cleared the officials of any wrongdoing. A copy of the report, submitted on May 14, 2025, and accessed by The Hindu, states that 'in summary, for the purpose of widening Hyder Ali Road in Mysuru from Kaalikamba Temple to SP Office Circle over a length of 360 meters and width of 30 meters, permission was granted under Section 8(3) of the Karnataka Tree Preservation Act, 1976, for felling 40 government trees (38 Peltophorum pterocarpum, one Samanea saman, and one Vachellia nilotica). This action by the Forest Department does not violate any regulations', says the report in conclusion. A perusal of the report indicates that the focus of the inquiry was whether the officials adhered to the legal requirements to be complied with, while according permission for tree-felling and whether the user agency, in this case the Mysuru City Corporation, met all provisions under the law, including making the requisite payment. Sources said that the inquiry did not address the issue raised by the Minister whether tree-felling was warranted and whether the road widening was required at all. The Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Planning and Recruitment), Bengaluru, visited Mysuru on April 22, 2025, to conduct an on-site investigation and review after consulting the Deputy Conservator of Forests, Mysuru Territorial Division. The permission for tree-felling was sought on June 15, 2024, and the local officials, including the range forest officer, conducted a mahazar, marked the tree identified for felling on both sides of the road, and submitted the report to Deputy Conservator of Forests on July 22, 2024. The species include 38 Peltophorum pterocarpum, one Samanea saman (Rain Tree), and one Vachellia nilotica (Gobli Tree) and on January 15, 2025, the Assistant Conservator of Forests submitted a valuation report. A demand notice was issued seeking a payment of ₹7,76,223 to the government, on payment of which permission to fell the trees were issued, as per the report. But the moot point raised by environmentalists, whether the traffic density merited road-widening, exploring other options like declaring the stretch as a one-way, etc. was not inquired into. Each of the tree was over 40 years old and their role in carbon sequestration was immense. Though the Forest Department has claimed that 10 saplings will be planted for every tree felled to compensate, their survival rates are questionable, according to activists.
