According to the Deputy Conservator of Forest (DCF), Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), BMC is looking to follow Rajkot’s Municipal Corporation’s (RMC) method to create a dense forest on these sites that have recently undergone bio-mining.
This was evident in the recent meeting held by Bengaluru’s Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC) with these companies. While BMC had summoned 14 businesses under the ABS scheme, 13 of them decided to give it a miss. The lone stakeholder who turned up for the meeting had limited knowledge of the rules.
They are of the view that development projects are being taken up without conducting feasibility studies or alternative analyses guided by science — such haphazard expansion of the city while ignoring the essentials of sustainable planning, mobility, and environmental impact will further add to the chaos.
According to data gathered by the Karnataka Biodiversity Board (KBB), only four companies from Bengaluru have come forward to sign the bio-resource access agreement with KBB so far in this financial year (2023-24).
The Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) had sought permission for the clearance of a few trees standing in the MG Railway Colony area for the construction of railway quarters a couple of months ago. A public notice regarding the same was put up by BBMP, following which a field forest officer conducted a spot inspection.