Bengaluru: TenderSure roads endanger trees

BENGALURU: It appears that the multi-crore TenderSure project, which is now part of the Smart City initiative, has no place for trees as they have been either axed or the roots have been completely concretised, leaving no space for water to percolate to the roots.

After rains last month, Koramangala 5th Block, which had TenderSure work completed recently, was completely flooded as there was no space for water to percolate.

Mr Kshitij Urs, a faculty of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), said that the TenderSure design is not good for rainwater harvesting. “Trees are an afterthought in the TenderSure project. We were able to get the traction on the issue only when we spoke about the project’s impact on the environment. The design of this road will never allow any trees to be planted. The footpaths are wide because the pipes are under them and the medians are narrowed,” he said.

Project Vruksha founder Vijay Nisthanth lamented that vacant spaces on footpaths at several places were never utilised for planting of trees and, on the contrary, trees have been chopped in Jayanagar to pave way for the project that has had a colossal impact on the environment.

“If there is no space for trees then the design is faulty. Despite spending so much money, there is hardly any space left for trees. Even at Metro stations the spaces were never utilized to plant trees,” he pointed out.

Recently, the BBMP had called for public consultation to make Church Street a pedestrian-only zone.

Mr Urs commented that a tree could have been there in the middle of the road and it would have looked beautiful with pedestrians walking on either side. But the entire stretch is devoid of any trees.