Local residents allege that MUDA wants to widen road at the cost of greenery 

Mysore/Mysuru: Close on the heels of hundreds of trees being numbered to be chopped off for Heli-Tourism project in the surroundings of Lalitha Mahal Palace, more than 50 fully-grown and healthy trees have been numbered at Vijayanagar First Stage purportedly for cutting.

These trees at Vijayanagar First Stage, Second Main Road have been there since years and have provided shade to the residents, walkers and even small tea shops and auto stands since ages. Local residents said that over 56 huge trees have been numbered for cutting to facilitate road-widening project initiated by Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). 

When compared to Third and Fourth Stage Vijayanagar, the First and Second Stages are considerably green and now the marking of trees have shocked the residents as the green space that provides shade is under threat.

Residents said, it was MUDA staff who scrapped the trees to number them and authorities have written to the Forest Department seeking permission to cut the trees. The contractor, who has been allotted the road widening works, reportedly told the residents that if permission to cut trees is denied, only road repair works would be taken up instead of widening. 

While marking the trees too, MUDA officials have not sought permission from the Forest Department and went ahead and numbered the trees. 

Speaking to SOM, Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF)-Territorial Dr. K.C. Prashanth Kumar said that MUDA seeking permission to cut trees has not come to his notice. “We have neither granted permission nor have received any request from MUDA to cut trees, I will send a team to Vijayanagar First Stage and report about the trees numbering and the areas,” he said. 

There has been a public outrage over cutting of trees at Lalitha Mahal Palace surroundings that is a butterfly zone and this act of MUDA to number trees for cutting is inviting the wrath of local residents. Several of them have decried the move on social media.