Search
+
    The Economic Times daily newspaper is available online now.

    Felling trees could affect you drastically, sooner rather than later

    Synopsis

    Aspirations of a crore population is not easy to cater to. But it is indeed possible to train them in a way where the benefits are widely shared.

    ET Bureau
    By Leo Saldanha

    The words sylvan, salubrious and paradise cannot anymore be used to describe Bengaluru. It is today a restless metropolis shaped by intense competition amongst regional metros to secure and retain investment.

    The aspirations of about a crore population is not easy to cater to. But it is indeed possible to train them in a way where the benefits are widely shared.

    This demands the interventions of a thoughtful State, a people-centred approach to governance and an ability to arrest speculation that is disruptive.

    From the 1980s, there had been talk of making Bengaluru a “world class” city. As massive investments in the IT sector took shape and as homes and apartments, reflective of their aspirations, grew in demand, the city was found wanting as a provider. Almost all this “development” came at the cost of manipulation, crony capitalism and a particular intent to please the ones who cried loudest. Quite often it was the captains of the IT sector who got the attention.

    With land-use planning super centralised, local governance largely dysfunctional, the complete abandonment of planned development was but a natural outcome. A city which in 1970s spread over 300 sqkm is now spread over a 1000 sqkm and almost all of the expansion has chomped away thickly wooded horticultural farms the region was famous for over centuries. Replacing this sylvan space is a rush of cluttered urbanisation where lakes, creeks, farmland or forests are not spared. Over the past decade, concrete and steel and glass have replaced this sylvan space. In some places such as Whitefield and Bommasandra, the transformation from green to brown is total, and all in a little over a decade.

    Inside the city, almost all old bungalows that had large private gardens filled with trees have disappeared as demand for land has skyrocketed. Huge chunks of concrete, glass and steel have replaced them intensifying the heat island effect.

    The streets, meanwhile, have turned chock-o-block with traffic. And, instead of intelligently providing multi-modal public transport options and compelling people to use them, the city has chosen to work more for the car and bike user. Cycles and pedestrians are being knocked out of the scheme and so are hundreds of roadside heritage trees. All that we seem to care for now is work, property and mobility.

    Attacking trees and open spaces as a requirement of “development” is indicative of the naiveté of our prevailing urban purpose. There is rarely a moment to pause and think if the path we are headed towards is viable at all.

    There is no turning back from this change, it seems. But there sure are intelligent choices that we can make.

    Re-greening the city, reclaiming streets for walking, cycling and a slower life, reasserting that the future growth is more inclusive. By engaging again in thoughtful conversations about such matters, it is possible to make this city liveable for most, again.

    (The author is coordinator of Environment Support Group)
    Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.
    ...more
    Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.
    ...more
    The Economic Times

    Stories you might be interested in