Tree park at Turahalli minor forest opposed by activists

Bengaluru: The State government's proposal to set up a tree park in Turahalli minor forest has snowballed into a huge protest with citizens protesting the move. In a letter to the Additional Chief Secretary (forest, ecology and environment) the president of Project Vruksha Foundation and Bengaluru Biodiversity Board member Vijay Nishanth stated that the project is in contravention of Forest Conservation Act.

"It is disheartening to note that the State forest department itself has started the process to destroy the remaining last blocks of forests and convert it into a mega tree park at Turahalli Minor Forests. As everybody is aware, this is an abode to more than 120 species of birds, many species of small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies to bees and wasps. Also, the sightings of spotted deer and wild boar are frequent," the letter read. Nishanth apprised the additional chief secretary that heavy machinery is being used to destroy the secondary forests thereby, violating the condition in the approved Working Plan and also the Supreme Court directions.

"The Constitution has neither provided the State the ownership of the resources of the environment or forests. Their position is that of a trustee who is required to protect and improve these resources for the public at large. Moreover, the Forest Conservation Act requires the state agencies to ensure forest diversion to non-forest activities is only an exception rather than the norm as before, and in any decision relating to diversion of forest to non-forest purpose," Nishanth said.

In a list of guidelines, signed by H S Bhagyalakshmi, Deputy Secretary to Government, Forest, Ecology & Environment Department, for the setting up of tree park it is clarified that the Tree-Park scheme is apt to protect forest land. "Even though protection of Forest land is desirable, achieving the same through the Tree-Park Scheme, in general, is not appropriate," the guideline quoted.

The further quote taken from the guidelines with respect to the size of the land says, "Forest lands, when available, are in large parcels of land. This leads to the temptation for converting entire available land as Tree-Park.It should be understood that only 10-20 Ha of the area is utilized effectively in a TreePark. Thus Tree-Park should ideally be between 5 to 15 Ha. However, if land is available inside the city, Tree-Park can be on one Ha also."

Nishanth in his letter has mentioned an excerpt of Lakshman Rao Committee report on Lakes and Tanks of Bengaluru wherein he vouched for the creation of tree parks in disused and dried-up lakes.

"There are a number of lakes which have dried and are on the verge of getting grabbed or have been turned into garbage dump yards. These spaces could be utilized for the setting up of tree parks. There are legal implications. It is highly objectionable to create these tree parks in the last remaining vestiges of degraded forests. And, that too, by pushing people into these forests to threaten the already endangered and remaining flora and fauna in the urban setup," Nishanth said.