Hasire Usiru

Concerned people unite against tree felling

[ Home; Press Releases; Press Clippings; Photographs; Other Documents ]

Over a century’s effort in growing trees along roadsides and maintaining them, has made Bangalore a unique city worldwide. There are very few cities that can pride the existence of such an extensive variety of large, lovely and towering trees as Bangalore does. Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (Bangalore City Corporation) is empowered to protect the city’s greenery, and in particular mandated to grow and maintain trees. Not fell them. However, starting March 2005, the BMP has gone about chopping trees lining Bangalore's avenues in the name of widening roads to ease traffic congestion. Over 700 trees were slated to be cut down on about 50 roads of Bangalore. This list, prepared by the Technical Advisor of BMP in November 2004, based on requests made by the traffic police, has earmarked for felling 38 trees along Sampige Road, the pride of Malleswaram; 58 trees along Bull Temple Road; almost all of the trees in Gandhibazaar; 35 trees on Dr. Rajkumar Road in Rajajinagar - the list is long and shocking. As of 21st April 2005, over 70 trees have already been chopped down, and more would have been chopped on but for the active and spontaneous intervention by Bangalore's citizens.

Alarmed by the rapid chopping, students, workers, homemakers, children and tens of representatives from a wide variety of organisations (Environment Support Group, Alternative Law Forum, Greenpeace, PETA, CIVIC-Bangalore and others) protested across Bangalore. Many of them kept all-night vigils preventing contractors from felling trees. This spontaneous coming together of people across Bangalore under the banner Hasire Usiru (Greenery is Life) has so far prevented the rapid loss of trees in Bangalore.

While it is not a point of dispute that Bangalore's traffic situation is bad (and continues to worsen), what is extremely contentious is the measures being undertaken in the name of easing traffic congestion. Will chopping down trees lining the roadsides really ease traffic congestion without actually addressing more seriously the question of the increasing vehicle density? If roads are to be widened, can't more innovative solutions be adopted that works around existing tree lines? These and several other questions come to mind and are being asked. Citizens across Bangalore concerned about the city are at work trying to propose innovative solutions to the problem of traffic.

The people who have come together as Hasire Usiru are asking for a more participatory form of traffic management that is transparent to the public and also actively solicits and incorporates public input and suggestions.

Equally problematic is the behaviour of the BMP in the entire episode. The Commissioner of the BMP has no legal authority to fell green trees -- they have to seek permission of the Forest Department under the Tree Act.

In this section, we will provide documentation (letters, legal documents, photographs, press releases, press reports) that chronicles the issue.

[ Press Releases; Press Clippings; Photographs; Other Documents ]