BENGALURU: The city’s shrinking green cover is facing a new threat, with 900-plus trees at the sprawling Gandhi Krishi Vigyan Kendra (GKVK) in Yelahanka, north Bengaluru, set to be chopped by the state govt to construct an international flower market with 300 shops.The 2024-25 state budget proposed a flower market, identifying five acres on the campus and directing University of Horticulture Sciences, Bagalkot, to transfer the land to the horticulture department on a 99-year lease. Some 125 acres of GKVK campus is in custody of the university for research and the govt has earmarked five acres of this land to build the flower market.While transferring the land, the university set strict conditions that the department shall retain all trees while building the market and share 50% revenue. As the project is inching towards completion, the varsity’s conditions seem to be violated, according to varsity sources.
Tree loss: Asked govt to give alternative land, says VC Vice-chancellor Vishnuvardhana told TOI that 924 trees are likely to be felled for building the market.”The species include cashew, jackfruit, mango, coconut, and other varieties and the trees are 10 to 15 years old. The university cultivated them for research and species preservation. Loss of these trees would severely impact academic and research activities of the students. We’ve asked the govt to give us alternative land and bear the cost of translocating these tree species,” he said.“The department is neither retaining the trees nor giving us 50% revenue. They cannot build a market without axing trees. Instead of sharing 50% revenue, they have resolved to pay only Rs 5 lakh annually to the university,”said an official.Yelahanka MLA SR Vishwanath has reportedly written to the university opposing a market in the middle of a thickly populated residential area. “With Ballari Road choked all the time, many citizens use this road for daily commute. But opening a flower market would attract hundreds of transport vehicles on a road narrower than Ballari Road, unleashing chaos in the vicinity. A peaceful area would turn chaotic,” said a RWA in Yelahanka. RWAs in Vidyaranyapura have urged the vice-chancellor to not go ahead with the project.
