Save these saplings and they will guard us for life

Trees and parks need no patronisation or protection from the government. They only need to be left alone. Let us get this simple fact of nature on the warped brains of the bureaucracy and political bosses.

Having spent 15 years of my time, energy, and money on fighting for Cubbon Park and Lalbagh, I feel frustrated because attacks on the city’s greenery continue due to skyrocketing realty prices.

The saddest thing is that those who make laws are happily breaking them. Karnataka took the initiative in tree protection and garden promotion with emulative legislation. But somewhere on the way, those at the helm scuttled it. The latest outrage against trees came from Metro Rail. The Metro should have planted trees the moment it was decided to go ahead with the project. Instead, they cut many trees and came up with some lame excuses.

From several hundred parks, the number has gone down to some 300 parks today. Many of them are small. Even if they are well maintained, it is something we can be proud of. Instead of one Cubbon Park and one Lalbagh, attempt should be made to create five Cubbon Parks and five Lalbaghs. Parks are not just spaces filled with trees. They create a mini-ecosystem. The trees help in preserving the water table and keeping the temperature of the surroundings cool.

Private partnership is not only desirable but also an essential requirement today. We know how well people keep flowers and potted plants in their homes. Same is possible if residents are given the responsibility to maintain greenery of the roads and their surroundings. This will save considerable money of the BBMP.
Look at Hyderabad. It had all the symptoms of urban decay Bangalore faces today. But the then Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu went about giving it a green and dapper look. If Naidu could do it, why not Yeddyurappa?

I am currently leading a project to green the university campus area. We have planted 8000 saplings and more are being planned. We only have to guard the saplings against stray cows and human attack. Then the trees will guard us for life. When will our education try to impart this simple knowledge and help the citizens to become more responsible?

Domlur flyover is a classic example of bureaucratic disdain against environment. The makers of the flyover destroyed a beautiful park. They had two ways to preserve the beauty. Either go for an underpass or preserve maximum area of the garden. They proved hackers, not doctors who heal. This way, the tag ‘Garden City’ is becoming a joke. Let us reverse it, belatedly though.

— Bimal Desai is an environmentalist

(As told to Divya Shree)