The number of trees affected by Namma Metro's 58 km airport corridor has increased by 70% between the detailed project report (DPR) stage and the actual execution of work, with trees on the road median seeming to be collateral damage.
The revised DPRs for the 19.75-km line between Silk Board and KR Puram (Phase 2A ) and 38 km-line between Jyothipuram and Kempegowda International Airport (Phase 2B) were prepared by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) in 2019 and approved after some revisions.
Both the DPRs had a special note with regard to the environmental impact of the project: "The trees along the median are small trees (of) 8-10 feet height and with small girth. Only trees required for constructing (the) pier will be cut and (the) remaining will be allowed to grow underneath the viaduct."
As per the DPRs, the two lines that make up the airport corridor would affect 2,818 trees - 1,218 trees for Phase 2A and 1,600 for Phase 2B. However, the actual numbers affected by the works is way higher.
In June and July this year, the BBMP issued seven public notices for felling trees on different sections of the project area, which put the total number of affected trees at 4,774 (2,115 for Phase 2A and 2,659 for Phase 2B).
Asked about the discrepancy in the numbers, a senior official in the BMRCL cited two reasons. “The DPRs were prepared in 2017-18 and considered only trees above 30 cm girth. Now, the definition has changed to include trees of 17.5 cm girth. Secondly, the trees on the median can’t be retained as they affect the execution of work,” he said.
Environmentalist Dattatraya T Devare noted that the BMRCL should have consulted the tree expert committee before deciding on the definition of the tree.
“The DPRs were not being shared by BMRCL under RTI for almost four months, with officials stating that they were being updated/corrected," said Devare. "The DPR has a specific suggestion on protecting the trees on the road median with barriers and other methods. How did the trees suddenly become an impediment,” he asked.
BMRCL Managing Director Anjum Parwez could not be reached for a comment.