Activist Disha Ravi accuses Metro of hiding facts on cutting trees; officials term her claims 'false'
Young climate activist Disha Ravi who was earlier jailed in connection with the 'toolkit case' is in the news again for the wrong reason. She blamed BMRCL for planning to chop nearly 800 trees for its Phase 2 project and also 15 trees in the premises. However, the top official has said that the activist has given false information with regard to her claims of Namma Metro hiding facts.
FollowDisha Ravi, a youngster who had hit the national headlines earlier this year in connection with 'toolkit case' during farmers' protest, has now claimed that Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) will cut 800 trees for its Phase-2 project.
The activist on Sunday tweeted regarding the same and also claimed that 15 more trees will be chopped that occupy lake premises and accused BMRCL of not putting this information on public domain.
However, BMRCL MD Anjum Parvez said that Ravi's claims of BMRCL hiding facts is completely false as everything is being done under the High Court's direction following the inputs from the tree expert committee.
In her tweet on Sunday, Ravi said that 800 trees on the metro airport line phase 2A between Central Silk Board & Kodibeesanahalli will be chopped and as per her claims, on field visit, it was found that 15 trees inside the lake will also be felled but this information has not been put in the public domain by BMRCL.
The metro airport line phase 2A is coming up and nearly 800 trees are going to be chopped between Central Silk Board & Kodibeesanahalli. On a field visit it was confirmed that 15 trees inside the lake will also be cut, they didn’t put this out to the public in their docs
In another tweet, she claimed that the BMRCL just has published that it received 774 objections from the public on felling of trees. She also claimed that 4777 plus trees will be felled for the project.
BMRCL reacts:
Talking to Asianet Newsable, BMRCL MD Anjum Parvez said that there is a complete system set up by the High Court not just for BMRCL, but for many organizations (govt) if any project is coming and may have to fell trees. There is a process to be followed on how it has to be handled. BMRCL has completed all the formalities based on the expert committee headed by concerned officials who also have put an official memorandum saying which tree has to be cut and which tree has to be translocated. And that has been communicated to the High Court and only then the High Court gives permission, only then we are going to go ahead.
"We are not hiding anything, whatever is there, it is in the public domain," Â That is the requirement of the metro and it has to be completed in the interest of the public," he stated.
To a question on chopping of 800 trees, he said it will be either felled or translocated purely based on the requirement of the project. When the project has to be taken through the median and outer ring road, a lot of trees have to be cut. Many trees with permission have been felled and that is the routine thing, there is nothing new about it and it is not just limited to Bengaluru, he stressed.
On Disha Ravi's claims on the metro being non transparent:
Anjum Parvez said, she (Disha Ravi) claims that BMRCL is hiding and alleges that we are planning to cut more trees than what we are showing but that is not a fact and we are not hiding anything. Whether it is 800 or 850, everything is on the public domain. 'She is claiming that we are hiding the fact and are going to cut more trees that we are showing to the public and that is not a fact,' Parvez told Asianet Newsable.
