This is why BBMP's 'Green app' gives us no hope

Activists and citizen from Forum for Urban Governance and Commons, Green Bengaluru have exposed BBMP's lie. It has promised that it will distribute 10 lakh saplings. A claim, which now has been found to be a lie, as BBMP has only 1 lakh tree saplings in its four nurseries.

The team of five comprising of city green experts and naturalists conducted an investigation by visiting four nurseries in the BBMP limits and found that they had only one lakh.  

The activists now have exposed the BBMP and said that the city municipal body came up with the Green App to escape from its own responsibilities.  As per the budget, BBMP was asked to plant 10 lakh trees in the city and was required to maintain it for the next three years.

"BBMP has only one lakh saplings. If BBMP forest department and local engineers in the ward have to plant these many saplings, they will have to take time out to plant and also to maintain it for three years. And now with the launch of a tree app, BBMP will easily wash away its hands from ensuring to plant these many trees,"  said Kshitij Urs from Urban Governance and Commons, Green Bengaluru.

The activists also have given a representation addressing it to BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad and City Mayor G Padmavathi regarding the availability of tree saplings and how the forest department is fooling the public.

"The Mayor was angry about the fact and asked the concerned officials to submit a report in this regard. This shows the lack of coordination between elected body and the officials,"  he added.

Mayor Padmavathi G expressed shock over the allegations regarding officials of not showing the realistic figure as claimed by activists and said she would personnel take an interest in getting 10 lakhs sapling planted across Bengaluru.

"When I visited few nursery, I saw about tree 25,000 seedlings and wondered how we would get  10 lakh trees. I will inspect all the nurseries. Since we may not able to get all the tree saplings in BBMP I will seek forest department help and get additional saplings and take help from like mined people and get it planted. We will also welcome public approaching BBMP through app to plant trees in their surroundings," she said.