Bengaluru: Bus-stand to rob feathered friends of homes

Bengaluru: Thousands of parakeets and other birds are likely to be rendered homeless as a number of trees are expected to be chopped to make way for the construction of new bus terminus at Kalasipalyam.

A large number of such bird habitats have already been destroyed in various parts of the city after trees were axed for various works.

If this project is implemented in its current form, over 8,000 parakeets and number of other species including mynas, bats, squirrels will be left homeless.
The groundbreaking ceremony for construction of Kalasipalyam bus terminus was held last week and the work has begun. The bus terminus will be spread over four acres 13 guntas of land and the project cost is Rs 60 crore.

Officials have already started marking trees set to be cut for the project, which includes those which are home to parakeets.

Wildlife warden Sharath Babu told Deccan Chronicle, “In a city which is turning into a concrete jungle, parakeet hubs have shrunk. At present there is one major hub, home to over 10,000 parakeets, near Orion Mall, Rajajinagar. Another such hub was near the present Kalasipalyam bus stand, near Ayyappa swamy 
temple.”

It is really surprising to find nearly 8,000 parakeets roosting on the trees around the temple and bus stand right in the middle of the busy city which has to be preserved, Sharath said.

He felt that if some changes were made in the project, the felling of trees that are home to parakeets and other birds can be avoided.

Kumar G.D., secretary of Sri Lokamatha Ayyappa Temple Trust has already written a letter to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests seeking his intervention to prevent thousands of parakeets from being rendered homeless.
“Only by sparing 12 trees of ficus, rain tree, gulmohar, jacaranda thousands of parakeets can be saved. We request officials to make suitable changes,” Kumar said.