Environmentalists and voluntary groups opposed the felling of 140 trees on an 11-km stretch from Devinagar, Parkala to Adiudupi for the widening (four-laning) of the Malpe-Tirthahalli National Highway 169A, at a public hearing organised by the Department of Forests here on Wednesday.
Balakrishna Maddodi, environmentalist, said that several trees had already been felled even before the public hearing. He demanded an inquiry into the felling of these trees by the National Highways wing of Public Works Department overseeing the widening work.
According to a survey by him, only 17 trees could be felled. Hence, there should be a joint survey of the trees that would be felled on the stretch by representatives of Forest Department, Public Works Department and environmental groups. A list should be made of those trees, marked for felling, for their transplantation, Mr. Maddodi said.
Premanand Kalmady, environmentalist, said that the public hearing for felling trees should have been held before the detailed project report for the widening of the stretch was taken up.
At least, the public hearing for the remaining stretches to be widened should be held before the detailed project report was prepared. The department should give a month’s notice for such a public hearing, he said.
Manjunath Manipal, municipal councillor, said that centuries-old trees had been axed on the 2-km stretch of the highway passing through his ward. The trees likely to face the axe should be transplanted in the 10 places identified for them by voluntary groups, he said.
Rayan Fernandes of Native Udupi sought to know the age of the 140 trees that had been marked for felling.
Responding to the demands, Assistant Conservator of Forests Lohith G. said that a joint survey of trees would be carried out and an inquiry would be held on how some trees had already been felled on the stretch. The trees to be felled were marked by the user agency along with the staff of the Forest Department. The felling of trees was carried out through auction.
The department gave priority to planting new saplings than transplanting trees as the success rate of the latter was low. Udupi district now had 46 % forest cover. But the number of trees felled in the district had increased in the last 10 years, Mr. Lohith said.