Drive to plant trees irks NHAI

Team Udayavani, May 26, 2018, 3:08 PM IST

Mysuru: With successful pre-monsoon showers and a fast approaching monsoon, the Forest Department has decided to increase the green cover in and around the city. Measures have been taken to plant saplings on either side of the Ring Road. But, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is displeased with the ground, next to the road, being dug up to plant the saplings. The officials say that it will damage the road.

The drive to plant saplings on the roads of Mysuru was planned by the Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) K.T. Hanumanthappa. It is titled ‘Greening Mysuru’, which aims to increase trees on all existing roads and the open areas in the premises of companies, educational institutions and residential areas. The drive plans of planting 30,000 saplings for a length of 106 km of road in and around Mysuru, including the 44 km stretch of the Ring Road. Therefore, pits have already been dug up on either side of Ring Road, which is part of NH-275 (Bengaluru-Bantwal).

The NHAI authorities allege that the forest department had not sought permission for implementing the drive on the road. They opine that digging of pits next to the road is ‘hasty’ and fear that the roots of the trees would damage the highway. “The drain area allows rainwater to seep into the ground. By digging pits to plant saplings, the forest department has disturbed the drain layer and the granular sub-base,” an official said.

“After ten years, these saplings would have grown into massive trees, and owing to an increase in traffic volume, they might lead to accidents. The forest department will then face trouble felling these trees due to resistance from residents and environmentalists,” he added. Instead, he suggested that the saplings could be planted on the median which is around 1.5 m wide. Meanwhile, Hanumanthappa said that the forest department had informed the NHAI about the drive in recent meetings.