Activists fume over BBMP's 'inflated' tree census numbers

Bengaluru: When the BBMP finally launched a tree census across the city, many citizens were euphoric. 

However, the civic body now seems to have undermined the crucial task of evaluating Bengaluru's green cover, with forest officials marking each branch of a tree with different numbers. 

This approach is likely to provoke backlash from citizens, including environmentalists and researchers. 

On Sunday, civic activist Kavitha Reddy brought attention to the misleading tree counts on social media, sharing photos to drive home the point. 

"What is the BBMP trying to achieve by counting the branches of the same tree as separate trees? Is it to inflate numbers and claim Bengaluru has more trees? This is incredibly disappointing. Please don't misrepresent Bengaluru and let down its citizens," she stated. 

BGL Swamy, Deputy Conservator of Forests, BBMP, admitted that the team marking trees in HSR layout had not received proper training. "We will redo the exercise," he assured.