Bangalore: Cutting trees for Bangalore's Metro project has become a controversial issue in the city.
But with the Metro authorities remaining adamant that there will be no change in the alignment of the Metro - the High Court has stepped in to halt the felling of trees at least for a few days after a PIL was filed on the issue.
Emotions ran so high over the felling of trees in the historical Lalbagh Garden that police protection was considered necessary while this work was being done.
The High Court stay on cutting trees in the area has brought some relief to tree lovers - at least temporarily.
"We really want to save Lalbagh. If Metro can go underground near Vidhana Soudha and Majestic where no trees are being felled, why can't it go underground in front of Lalbagh where more trees have been cut?" said Shilpa, a Resident.
But Metro authorities say that going underground is at least twice as expensive and will save no trees at all.
"There is generally a wrong perception that going underground will actually lead to cutting of less trees. Our experience says that it is not so. In fact in the underground alignment of 9 kilometres there are almost 1,100 trees which are to be felled. Whereas in the whole of the elevated section of 32 kilometres we are felling only about 2000 trees," said S Sivasailam, MD, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.
The protesting tree lovers say that the trees should be saved at any cost - even if it means taking the Metro underground. But Metro authorities say that an underground Metro actually results in the loss of more trees. It is the trees that will have to get out of the way.