Bengaluru: The city that is hankering for green spaces and fought vigorously against the steel bridge project to save the Garden City’s green cover today looks for a shade at the pedestrian-friendly TenderSure roads.
The palm trees planted on the Church Street have dried up and green activists have questioned planting of exotic species of trees along with local varieties on the stretch.
Former forest officer S.R. Neginhal, who is credited to with making Bengaluru green, termed the entire project wrong and unplanned. “Palm trees are for gardens and not roads. They do not provide a shade. How can one have pedestrian-friendly roads without trees that provide shade? None of the trees will survive since they are planted in small pits,” he said.
During summer, people search for shade and TenderSure roads lack such shade-giving trees. “Who wants to walk in the extreme heat,” he asked.
With over Rs 15 crore spent on the 750-metre stretch, Church Street was in the news recently when a cobblestone came out. While going through the street, we also noticed that garbage had been piled up at several places.
Experts said that the city needs tree lines and that TenderSure roads could have gone for Ashoka or pongamia trees that take less space.
Tree doctor Vijay Nishanth said, “The stretch of road has a mixed species of indigenous and exotic trees. They can still replant the trees and use root barriers so that it does not spread. Palm trees are not indigenous and at this spot, they have not grown properly and that is why they have dried.”
Activists said that if trees had been planted every 13 feet, there could have been nearly 150 trees on the stretch. “But generally, TenderSure roads seem to have ignored environment concerns,” they said.
“They are not drying, but dying. It is the design that is stopping them from growing and afforesting the stretch. All TenderSure roads are examples of how one can destroy the ecology,” said Mr Kshitij Urs, People Campaign for Right to Water.
