Sir,

This refers to the news item titled “Green carnage: 45 heritage trees felled” in yesterday’s Star of Mysore on Page-1.

Felling more than 40 lush green, giant trees overnight in a clandestine operation, while the citizens were asleep is a heinous crime against the city residents and environment. 

This crime was a joint operation by the Forest Department and Mysuru City Corporation, the very authorities that citizens entrust their surrounding greenery to be safeguarded.

If they let us down who do we trust from here onwards?  No public information was released for discussion.

There is no economic justification to widen this section of the road as there was no traffic congestion. The successive Karnataka Governments are known for quickly approving new capital expenditure projects, this being lucrative to make huge bribery through commission, when there is a dire necessity of funds for maintaining already existing roads and buildings, or to pay salaries to teaching staff everywhere.

The citizens through various NGOs of Mysuru need to immediately join hands and hold several large public protests.

We should appeal together to the judiciary for justice, which should include quick inquiry, monitory penalty, replacement greenery plans and axing the responsible officers from their positions as a punishment. This should also instill fear before such destructions cross the minds of others in future, either here or elsewhere.

– Ravi Bale, Life Member, MGP, Yadavagiri, 14.4.2025

II

Sir,

With reference to the front page news item titled “Green carnage” in yesterday’s SOM, my view is as below:

Peltophorum trees have the most spectacularly beautiful yellow flowers among dark green leaves. These trees provide shade for all and are a refuge for nesting birds.

 Even if the Forest Department’s prior permission for removal of 45 Peltophorum trees was sought and received by Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) for road-widening, it does not mitigate the ecological and environmental “criminal” carnage of the 45 acts of clear felling these avenue trees.

Widening the road for faster and increased vehicular traffic, in my opinion, is no justification for this “crime”, which will further speed-up global warming and climate change, affecting future generations of people.

— Maj. Gen. S.G. Vombatkere (Retd.), Mysuru, 14.4.2025

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