Memorial revamp: Greens worried about loss of trees in Mangaluru

MANGALURU: The possible loss of trees for the construction of the Kudmul Ranga Rao Memorial at the Brahma Samaj Burial Ground in Babugudde in Mangaluru has understandably perturbed environmentalists in the coastal city.
The state government has already sanctioned Rs 3 crore under the Mahatma Gandhi Nagar Vikas Yojana for the development of Kudmul Ranga Rao Memorial, which, MLA Vedavyas Kamath said would serve as an inspiration for the young, in addition to serving as a tourist attraction.
However, environmentalists fear that the trees painstakingly nurtured by Jeeth Milan Roche, who planted them four years ago, would be the casualty to this project. Roche, deciding that cemeteries served as an ideal place for afforestation, started planting saplings at these spaces to help offset the depleting green cover in Mangaluru.
“We have been tipped off that Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) is planning to fell nearly 179 trees for the construction of the memorial.But when construction will begin, more trees are likely to be felled. We want to launch a campaign to save these trees, of which there are 40 varieties, including fruit-bearing ones, medicinal and flowering plants,” Roche told TOI.
A senior forester said that locals had objected to the axing of trees for the memorial. “We have thus not been able to ascertain the exact number of trees that will be lost for the project. The department has decided to call for a meeting with the additional conservator of forests (ACF), MCC, and environmentalists,” the senior official said.
An MCC official said that the civic agency had written to the forest department about the project. He added that work on the memorial was yet to start, adding that the site for the proposed memorial was not being maintained, with garbage littered around it. MCC commissioner Akshy Sridhar said that they had already discussed the project with the deputy conservator of forests. “Before work is initiated, we will hold another discussion. We are yet to take a decision on felling trees for the memorial,” he said.