People Protesting against BMRCL’s tree-felling plan

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Bangalore (Metro Rail News): Guruprasad member of the Church of South India Association accused the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) of trying to cut the trees without the necessary permission. “The work on the underground metro line will happen below the church,” he reasoned.

Members of the All Saints Church joined hands with environmentalists on Sunday to stage a protest against “damage to be caused on trees on church land” by Namma Metro’s Gottigere-Nagavara line.

Guruprasad said, “We won’t allow the forests to get destroyed in the name of development, but BMRCL officials have decided to cut 100 trees without getting any clearance from the forest officials.”

They will move the high court of Karnataka against the BMRCL’s “unscientific” plan, said Joseph Hoover of the United Conservation Movement.

Hoover said, “A building can be rebuilt, but trees can’t and some of the trees are more than 100 years old and we don’t want to lose them they are part of the sacred grove.” The metro project has so far affected Fatima Bakery and the adjacent building on the church land.

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 Hoover stated that, “The distance between the Vellara and Langford stations is only 877 metres. Metro officials should redesign the stretch to maintain an ideal distance of 1 km between the stations.”

BMRCL is refusing to look at the wide space on the government-owned area near the junction and is in fact, forcing the church officials to provide the land the protesters said.

The protesters said, “BMRCL has sought 40,000 square metres of church premises where differently abled children attend school. We have appealed to the chief minister to help us.”