Bengaluru: Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) officials Monday clarified that the tree loss during the construction of Namma Metro Phase 3 will likely be much lower than feared earlier. While the initial figure stood at around 11,000, BMRCL’s environment wing has now revised this to approximately 6,800 trees after an internal assessment.“All 6,000-plus trees will not be removed. Some will be cut, some transplanted, and some retained,” said Kanakaraj MH, assistant engineer (environment), BMRCL, adding that the exact number would depend on the ground situation during construction. The statement came after environmentalists raised serious concerns about the impact of Metro expansion on Bengaluru’s green cover. Activists demanded greater transparency and access to data on how many trees will be felled, pruned, or relocated, and the exact locations of transplantation efforts. A public consultation meeting on the matter was held Monday.Parvathi Srirama, an environmental activist present at the meeting, said: “They are telling everything orally. We want statistics. How many trees are going to be saved correctly? How many trees are going to be pruned? How many are they relocating and where? What are the species? What is the age of the trees?”Responding to concerns about rising air and noise pollution following previous construction phases, Kanakaraj acknowledged that Metro work does contribute to the city’s air quality issues. “But there are multiple sectors adding to pollution. It’s not always high,” he added.BMRCL officials reiterated their commitment to compensating for the loss of green cover. For every tree removed, the agency has pledged to plant 10 new saplings within city limits and maintain them for at least three years. However, environmentalists questioned the status of compensatory plantations carried out for earlier Metro phases and sought data on the survival rates of transplanted trees.The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report on Phase 3 is currently being finalised. “We have asked the public and NGOs for their point of view. We are noting it down. The EIA report is on the verge of completion,” Kanakaraj said. According to sources, the report is expected to be ready for review by Aug and will likely be published in Oct.Phase 3 of Metro will add 44km to the network, providing new connections to the traffic-heavy western section of the Outer Ring Road.
