The Railway Land Development Authority (RLDA) has requested permission to cut down 368 trees in the Bangalore Cantonment Railway Colony, Vasanth Nagar, to pave the way for a commercial development project. In response, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) issued a public notice on April 25, inviting objections or feedback within 10 days via email, post, or in person.
The trees, listed on the BBMP website, span a significant area of the colony and include heritage species such as Peepal, Rubber, and Christmas trees, with some believed to be over a century old. Environmentalists and residents have raised concerns over the loss of Bengaluru’s vanishing green cover.
The 8.61-acre project site, located between Cantonment Road and Thimmaiah Road, is earmarked for a 60-year commercial lease with a reserve price of ₹236 crore. Plans include residential and commercial complexes, with an additional one-acre section allocated for railway colony redevelopment.
Environmental activists, under the banner ‘Save Cantonment Heritage Trees’, have launched a protest campaign. Activist Vijay Nishant urged citizens to send objections to dcfbbmp12@gmail.com and rldabangalore2022@gmail.com.
Rajkumar Dugar of Citizens4Citizens has proposed that RLDA integrate the existing trees into the development design, citing examples like the Kempegowda International Airport Terminal 2, where infrastructure was built around trees to preserve nature.
The move highlights the tension between urban development and heritage conservation, sparking a growing call to protect Bengaluru’s dwindling natural legacy.
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