Mysuru: Get ready for another round of mass tree-felling in the heritage city. The Forest Department has given permission to cut 255 trees to facilitate road-widening works of an 8.5-kilometre stretch from Bogadi Ring Road Junction to Kumarabeedu Junction. The existing two-lane road will be widened to a four-lane one by the Public Works Department.

The Tree Committee led by Asst. Conservator of Forest Kripanidhi, Range Forest Officers Devaraj and Govindaraj gave permission to cut trees at a public hearing on the issue held at Aranya Bhavan in city yesterday.

The hearing, held as per the rules prescribed in Karnataka Tree Conservation Act, was also attended by various environmentalists who had filed objections, residents of the area and stakeholders. While granting permission to cut trees, Forest officers directed the PWD to cut down trees on both sides of the road and plant equal number of trees in five-foot median to be developed on this stretch.

The PWD is upgrading this road into a four-lane highway at the cost of Rs.27.15 crore following the increase in vehicle density which has resulted in a number of accidents on this particular stretch. PWD has planned to develop 51-foot road and lay a five-foot median that will be planted with rare plants after road widening. Of the 255 permitted trees, the PWD has already axed 10 trees.

Interestingly, many families living on the road who have lost their loved ones in accidents on the stretch, attended the public hearing and demanded that the road should be widened to prevent further accidents. A few victims who have lost or maimed their legs and hands due to accidents also came to the hearing.

Among the trees that will be cut are 7 Jacaranda trees, 32 rain trees, 82 tamarind trees, 94 Seemethangadi trees, 11 Neem trees, 2 Hebbevu trees, 3 Peepal trees, 6 Acacia trees, one Kaadubaage tree and one Honne tree. Most of these trees provide good shade and have grown big over the years.

PWD Asst. Executive Engineer Raju informed the meeting that he took up the road-widening and upgrading of this road due to public demand and heavy increase in vehicular population. As many as 12,186 commercial vehicles including 7,000 commercial vans have been plying daily on this stretch according to census conducted by Road Transport and Police Department officials, he said.

To compensate the tree felling, the PWD had paid Rs.48.73 lakh to Forest Department to plant saplings on the median. The Department had paid Rs.1,911 to raise each sapling on the median.

Residents of Roopa Nagar including Vanishree, Dr. Purnima, Shailajesh and retired Professor of Veterinary University Dr. Srinivasaiah, filed objections for tree felling and demanded that road be widened without axing trees.

While residents of Kumarbeedu Chenna Naik, students Keerthi and Ravikumar, Dasanakoppal Venkatesh, Bogadi former Gram Panchayat President Jayakumar, GP Member and advocate Umesh, GP Member Garage Ravikumar and others favoured immediate road-widening works as delay is causing a lot of accidents.