Click to play videoBangalore: The Garden City may soon be stripped of its title. Environmentalists and Opposition parties are up in arms over the auctioning of trees that were cut in the name of development in Bangalore.
The Yedyurappa Government is accused of auctioning the trees at cheap rates.
The very people who are supposed to protect the trees from the timber mafia allegedly back the attack on Bangalore’s greenery. Nearly 1,000 trees that were cut in the name of development have been auctioned for as cheap as Rs 800.
"In the open market, a tone of jungle wood would cost more than Rs 1,500. Each tree will be a minimum of 10 to 12 tone," said Opposition leaser V S Ugrappa.
The allegation is that the timber mafia in the city has formed cartels and is forcing the government to cut trees in the name of road widening. Then, these cartels buy of these trees at way cheaper rates from government auctions.
"If the government knew that the timber mafia had formed a cartel and was cutting tress what was the government doing? A deeper enquiry is required into all this," said activist Hasiru Usiru, Vinay Sreenivasa.
The Government on its part has indeed promised an enquiry but the finer point is that Bangalore, which was once called the greenest city in the entire, South Asia is sadly losing that tag, thanks to unplanned development and misplaced priorities.
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