By Dr. K. Javeed Nayeem, MD

Very recently, all Mysuru-loving Mysureans were rudely jolted awake after a clandestine midnight operation by the authorities felled forty fully grown copper pod trees on the stretch of Hyder Ali Road running between the Police Quarters and the Karnataka Police Academy.

Outraged citizens even held protests, upon which they were quickly reassured that a proper enquiry would be held to identify the offenders and bring them to book for their rash and thoughtless act, in which I see much malicious intent of shameless profiteering too.

Short public memory

But this reassurance of an inquiry was rightly seen by most right-thinking people only as a placebo injection to assuage ruffled emotions, while allowing the proverbial short public memory to push the matter into the newly laid stormwater drains at the roadside there.

As expected, recently, a clean chit was honourably issued to all the culprit officials by the Forest Department, not only absolving them of any wrongdoing but also justifying the sacrificing of those trees as an essential act to widen the road and convert it into a two-lane affair, which again is completely unnecessary, considering the very low traffic density there.

This is a clear case of the ‘fence itself eating the crop’ because it is the forest officials who are vested with the responsibility of safeguarding our fast-vanishing trees and green cover, instead of doing which, they turned out to be abettors of the certainly grievous crime!

Laws meant to be broken

Nothing very surprising though, in our country, where laws are meant to be broken rather than to be followed, because perpetrators of most crimes go unpunished, if they have enough clout and the right connections. 

Not being content with having started the widening of this road, operations have now started to also lower its level to get rid of the slight gradient, at its junction with the road that comes from the Nexus Mall.

The reason touted for this is that it will improve the visibility, although the regular road users never at any time felt that visibility was impaired sufficiently to make it unsafe. So, it looks like those in power and their associates only want to continue working on projects that are completely unnecessary for public good but are certainly good at enriching themselves.

Contentious issue

Now, there is a new area along this very same road where we are very likely to see another contentious issue. The entire stretch of Abba Road running in front of the Government House, from the Five Lights Circle till the Police Academy, was widened a few years ago, again by felling some very beautiful avenue trees, leaving the magnificent arched gate of the Government House standing forlorn in its middle. That its western end has continued to remain a narrow bottleneck over more than two decades, due to legal hurdles in land acquisition, is a fact well-known to most of us.

Trouble at eastern end

But the trouble that I am foreseeing now lies at the Eastern end of the widened section running in front of a Hotel, which is now serving only as a free parking place for tourist buses and cabs. Beyond this point the compound wall of the Police Academy begins and the abrupt block can be clearly seen in the picture above, under the hoarding from which a pretty lady is urging us to match our trust with hers, in buying gold and diamonds!

Here the ongoing road has remained a very narrow bottleneck, till it joins the now widened Hyder Ali Road.  And, here lies the Hobson’s Choice! If this tiny stretch of about a hundred metres is left as it is, it will completely defeat the purpose of spending crores of taxpayer’s money and felling forty beautiful trees with the excuse of road widening.

And if the authorities decide to widen this stretch too, as they most likely will, they can do so only by felling at least twenty more beautiful trees that stand just within the premises of the Police Academy. This proposal alone, let alone the actual act of felling, will certainly incur the wrath of citizens who will be forced to take to the roads and protest against it.

Protecting the trees

Yes, protest we should, to protect these trees and prevail upon the authorities to think of other alternatives.

I think there is a way out, if someone is willing to listen and what I propose is that while widening this stretch, we should leave these trees in the median that has now been planned all along this road. They will do no harm and if similar trees are planted in the median of the continuing stretches too, both towards the Five Lights Circle and the SP’s Office Circle, we will have a really beautiful road that will in a few years from now, complement the majesty of our Government House and enhance the beauty of the Police Academy too.

And, maybe in doing so, it will also serve as an act of atonement, for all the wrong that we have already done there! Let’s all think about it, before we let the lumberjacks loose on that place.

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