Karnataka HC imposes temporary stay on felling 530 trees for Air Force Command Hospital expansion in Bengaluru

The Bengaluru Environment Trust and a backstage idiosyncratic Dattatraya Devare filed an interim exertion this week – arsenic portion of a nationalist involvement litigation initiated successful 2018 for the extortion of trees nether the Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act, 1976 – against the determination of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to let the felling of 530 trees for the enlargement of the Command Hospital.

The Bengaluru Environment Trust said an authoritative memorandum uploaded connected the BBMP’s website stated that the civic assemblage would chopped down 530 trees.

“The memorandum is successful usurpation of the orders of the HC. No bid of the adept committee appointed by the HC has been uploaded. The details of compensatory and translocatory plantation are not successful accordance with the orders of the HC,” the Trust argued successful the Karnataka High Court.

“The trees which they privation to works successful a compensatory mode they are readying to works 45 km distant extracurricular Bengaluru and the BBMP jurisdiction successful the Nelamangala taluk,” it stated and called for the HC to supply interim extortion arsenic done earlier successful akin instances.

“We are challenging the BBMP bid which is not successful accordance with law. These are 530 trees successful the bosom of the city,” the advocator for the Trust told the precocious tribunal connected Wednesday.

A part seat comprising Justice N V Anjaria and Justice M I Arun ruled that “till further orders determination shall beryllium nary cutting of trees,” portion directing the BBMP to record objections to the exertion of the Bengaluru Environment Trust.

Plea connected felling trees for Bengaluru Metro airport

The precocious tribunal connected Wednesday besides postponed a determination connected a plea by the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) for felling 55 trees which has been cleared by the adept committee constituted arsenic per the orders of the HC nether the Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act, 1976.

The precocious tribunal posted the substance to February 4 for information aft studying the objections filed by the Bengaluru Environment Trust.

The BMRCL successful its exertion to the precocious tribunal said that it has projected the cutting of 75 trees for the airdrome enactment of the Bengaluru metro obstruction and an adept committee has said 15 trees person to beryllium retained and 5 trees translocated portion 55 trees tin beryllium removed. The study of the adept committee was placed successful the precocious tribunal connected Wednesday.

However, the Bengaluru Environment Trust objected to the connection by pointing retired that the BMRCL had agreed successful September 2022 to works 4,100 trees arsenic compensation for trees felled successful the metropolis for the metro task and that this had not been fulfilled.

The advocator for BMRCL argued that the Bengaluru metro task was earning c credits by taking vehicles disconnected the roadworthy by implementing the obstruction project.