Bengaluru: A total of 157 trees are set to be axed across the city to facilitate the construction of skywalks and foot overbridges at five major railway stations as part of Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project’s corridor-2. A proposal seeking clearance to this effect has been submitted by K-Ride (Rail Infrastructure Development Company-Karnataka Limited), the nodal agency for the suburban rail project, to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). On Saturday, a public notice was issued regarding the proposed tree felling, inviting objections or suggestions from citizens within 10 days.Corridor-2, known as Mallige Line, is a 25km route from Byappanahalli to Chikkabanavara. The locations where trees are on the chopping block include Chikkabanavara, Mydrahalli, Shettyhalli, and Yeshwantpur railway stations. The civic agency is yet to publish information on the species and description of trees facing the axe.According to BBMP sources, the request for removal of trees has been made with a view of improving pedestrian infrastructure around these stations as they are likely to witness high footfall in the future. Moreover, safety upgrades have long been pending at these stations. “There is pressure from the Centre to get the much-delayed suburban rail project going as Bengaluru’s mobility-related problems worsen. One of the challenges faced with Mallige Line pertains to handing over land for executing the project. Of the 91.5 acres of land required for corridor-2, around 28 acres is private land. The next big challenge could be the opposition from environmentalists to the chopping of trees,” a source said. The proposal to chop 157 trees comes just a month after green activists from across the city intensified their protest against the felling of 368 trees in Cantonment Railway Colony.
