Let Forest Dept care for trees, not BBMP

Once known as ‘Garden City’, Bengaluru has since been reduced to a concrete jungle, thanks to the haphazard and dysfunctional planning by civic agencies, primarily the BBMP and BDA. And what is left of the city’s green cover may also soon disappear, with the government taking away the responsibility for maintenance of trees in the city from the Forest Department to the BBMP. The Forest Department will now have jurisdiction only over notified forest areas like Turahalli and Jarakabande, besides reserved trees like rosewood, teak and sandalwood. Mercifully, Cubbon Park and Lalbagh, the two main lung spaces of the city, will continue to remain with the Horticulture Department. Trees in the rest of the city will be under BBMP’s mercy. This is an ironic move, considering the BBMP’s record even on the very few functions that it has responsibility for -- roads, garbage clearance, healthcare and approval of building plans. It has failed miserably in every department. Indeed, the government itself recently felt the need to hand over garbage clearance to a new state-owned company.

Handing over the responsibility of protecting and maintaining trees to such an agency, not very well-known for its love of the city’s environment, greenery and green causes, could spell disaster for Bengaluru, just as climate change begins to play havoc with it. What is most concerning is that BBMP will be empowered to decide on requests for tree-cutting in the city. This represents a conflict of interest as the highest number of such requests comes from the civic agencies themselves, including the BBMP. Given the strong political influence and the sway of the builder lobby, Bengaluru’s tree-cover will be most vulnerable under BBMP control.

In the past, senior Forest Department officers deputed to the BBMP Forest Cell were shunted out because they refused to bow to the diktats of politicians. In 2015, the entire Forest Cell – 11 personnel -- had written to the government seeking repatriation from the BBMP as they could not work under political pressure. In 2018, the then Forest Minister R Shankar had sent a proposal to the Chief Minister seeking transfer of the BBMP Forest Cell to the Forest Department, but it was not acted upon. In fact, BBMP’s Forest Cell has nearly nothing to show for its existence.

It is high time the government evolved a green policy for Bengaluru that involves protection of trees and lakes, while reducing all forms of pollution. It should begin by immediately rescinding its order and restoring Bengaluru’s trees to the care of the Forest Department.