BENGALURU
Karnataka High Court has directed the state government to provide information by Tuesday on its plan to cut trees within Lalbagh Botanical Garden for the proposed 16.7km twin tunnel road project. A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Poonacha, orally instructed the govt advocate to clarify the situation following a brief hearing of two PIL petitions, filed by Adikesavalu Ravindra and theatre personality Prakash Belawadi.
MP Tejasvi Surya, who appeared as counsel in the Belawadi petition, submitted that trees in the city are under threat as approximately 6.5 acres in the Lalbagh area has been demarcated for the project, restricting public access. He also highlighted that a rock formation, millions of years old and a protected monument, is endangered by the proposed project.
At this point, the division bench sought a response from the government advocate regarding the concerns raised by the petitioners and requested verification of any proposals to cut trees. The government advocate said that since it was the fourth Saturday, a government holiday, she would make her submissions on Tuesday after consulting the officials concernedAlthough the next hearing on the petitions is scheduled for Dec 9, matters related to this specific issue have been deferred to Tuesday, Oct 28.
The division bench also ordered issuance of notice to the respondents, including Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and Geological Survey of India, in the plea filed by Belawadi.
The two petitioners have challenged the July 14, 2025, tender notification issued by the state government and the erstwhile BBMP (now GBA), various communications pertaining to the project, the feasibility study report of December 2024, and the Detailed Project Report (DPR) issued in February-March this year. According to the petitioners, there has been no lawful appraisal of economic viability, social impact, and constitutional validity of this project, estimated to cost between Rs 17,780 crore and Rs 19,000 crore.