Civic commissioner roots for trees

Siddaiah orders immediate removal of tar and concrete bases around trees to allow unrestricted growth; around 1,000 trees will now be saved from certain annihilation

Civic commissioner roots for trees

Siddaiah orders immediate removal of tar and concrete bases around trees to allow unrestricted growth; around 1,000 trees will now be saved from certain annihilation

The cries of green activists in the concrete jungle have been heard at last. The BBMP commissioner has ordered the removal of all concrete and tar around the base of roadside trees.

Saviour: BBMP workers will carry out these orders at various places
in the city, including Koramangala, Jayanagar and Wilson Garden areas

During a recent visit to Jayanagar and Koramangala, BBMP commissioner Siddaiah, noticed that trees were choked either by tar or cement and were being suffocated. He ordered officers on the spot, to take immediate action.

"Acting upon instructions from Siddaiah, we are removing concrete and tar bases in a scientific manner without damaging the tree and its roots," said Balakrishna, BBMP officer, Bangalore South. "This task is not being conducted in few areas, but across the city," he added.

Breathing easy
"For years, trees in the city were dying a slow death because of asphalting and footpaths and limited space around the tree base. These factors make absorption of water and nutrients from the soil difficult," says Janet Yegneswaran of treeforfree.org. "I am happy to hear about BBMP's decision," she added.

Well begun
According to B S Ananthram, secretary of ST Bed Residents' Association, Siddaiah has taken the appropriate decision. "Already BBMP workers have begun work in ST Bed locality. This is also a step to recharge ground water, which is decreasing at a fast rate," he said. Ananthram expressed his happiness at the decision and added that it will save over 100 trees in ST Bed itself. Similar action has begun in other localities of Bangalore and will save over 1,000 trees. "Soil should be added and proper masonry work done to facilitate free flow of rain water to the roots," he added.

Facing the axe
The forest department listed over 10 lakh trees in the city, but several fell to the axe owing to road widening and Metro work recently. In addition, during monsoon, the city loses several hundred trees as a result of roots being weakened because of asphalt/concrete bases around them. This move promises to bring about a drop in the number of trees being cut and will ensure the green cover remains in the garden city.