BEL Proposes to Cut Down Over 900 Trees on Campus in Bengaluru; Sparks Outrage

New Delhi, September 14, 2024: In a not-so-good move, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has proposed to cut down over 900 trees on its campus in Bengaluru. This proposal by the Navratna PSU has been submitted to create infrastructure facilities for production, storage, testing and upgradation for the production of large-scale EVMs and export manufacturing. After the submission of the proposal to the tree committee, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has been directed to issue a paper notification for inviting objections within a 1-days window.

Bengaluru Biodiversity member Vijay Nishanth has shown his disagreement to the proposal and its timeline. He was quoted telling The Indian Express, "The ten-day timeframe for objections is insufficient and that enough time should be given to consider the proposal. There should be public consultation on the same, as the number of trees to be cut is a huge figure. The primary purpose of the tree committee should be to conserve trees and not merely approve or deny the felling of trees when an application is filed. The committee has not yet published any report about the planting of tree saplings as a backup, its success rates and the current status."

Sharing his views on the issue, Dattatreya Davare, Trustee of Bengaluru Environment Trust said, "A conclusion about the felling of the trees can be drawn only after an inspection by the authorities. BEL may have carried out plantations in the past due to the availability of land. The question here is whether such expansion is required or another location should be preferred."

Furthermore, officials from the BBMP Forest Division have assured that despite the 10-day window for public objection, they will reach out to the public before taking action in this matter. 

Commenting on the matter, BLG Swamy, Deputy Conservator of Forest shared, "The number of trees to be cut is huge and we will find out about the types of trees there.

We will hold debates and discussions and public consultations first. Objections, suggestions, and comments are invited from citizens under Section 8 (3) (vii) of Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act 1976."