Second stage of tree-cutting for BRTS enrages greens

HUBBALLI: Suspicious move of Hubli-Dharwad BRTS Company Ltd on 2nd stage tree cut has created apprehensions among environmentalists and public at large as it has not clarified on compensatory plantation for the same.
It can be recalled that bowing to pressure of environmentalists and public, HD BRTS had agreed to plant 18,400 trees in 2012 as compensation to 1,750 trees cut for the project.Otherwise it was intended to plant 4,000 trees along the proposed road as per instruction given by the state level environment impact assessment authority (SEIAA) constituted by the union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF).
Speaking to TOI, Sham Kamath, a bird watcher and member of Hubballi-Dharwad Pragati Sankalp, expressed worry that BRTS is not giving correct figure of planted trees out 18,400 proposed compensatory plantations. `Now they are not sharing about compensatory plantation for 2244 trees cut in stage-II. They have neither installed board of 2nd stage tree cutting at main places nor updated it on its website. Because of rampant trees cut between Hubballi-Dharwad, temperature has gone high and quantity of rains is drastically decreased in last 4 years.
Moreover, trees grown up along Hubballi-Dharwad road were home for many migratory birds, which have stopped arriving here after trees cut’ he observed.
Shankar Kumbi, member of Green BRTS Committee, said that worried that BRTS has not ensured of planting trees as per its assurance. `Though its claims of planting 8,000 trees, survival rate is too low. In a recent meeting officials asserted survival rate is 53-55% during the year 2013-14. However we argued that survival rate is still lower after lack of proper maintenance and after-care activities by beneficiary institutions and after drought. We have suggested to conduct a survey on survived plants. We have also suggested some measures to enhance survival rate of trees’ he explained.
Another Green BRTS Committee member Santosh Nargund pointed out that BRTS had mentioned of cutting only 1,750 trees while seeking environmental clearance from SEIAA. `Now it is mum that whether it has taken fresh environment clearance or not for second stage of trees cutting. If it won’t take compensatory plantation for additional trees cutting, we will approach the court seeking intervention in this regard’ he warned.
`Compensatory plantation of 18,000 was planned against all total cut trees of 3994. So no question of additional compensatory plantation arises. However, compensatory plantation process was deferred after drought. We will expedite it by June-July when it starts raining here.’
-Deepa Cholan, managing director, HD BRTS.