BENGALURU
Amid rapid urbanisation in Bengaluru, citizens are stepping up to protect the Kadugodi Reserve Forest near Whitefield, a critical green lung under threat from unchecked construction.
Residents and environmental activists have launched campaigns, including an online petition, to garner public support and press authorities to safeguard the forest. The petition alleges that despite Supreme Court and Karnataka High Court directives to transfer all forest land to the forest department, little progress has been made.
The Kadugodi Reserve Forest covers 711 acres, but only around 200 acres remain under the forest department’s control, with 120 acres under active plantation. Large portions of the forest have been allocated to agencies such as the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB), Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL), and Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB). Land allotted to BMRCL and BWSSB received forest clearance in exchange for parcels in Dandeli and Raichur, while KIADB controls around 450 acres, now being allotted to industries and real estate developers.
Despite petitions filed in both the Supreme Court and Karnataka High Court to reclaim the forest land, construction continues. Residents have also raised concerns over illegal expansions, including in Dinnur Colony, prompting further legal scrutiny.
Environmentalists stress that citizen intervention is critical to preserving the remaining forest patch, which provides ecological balance, supports local biodiversity, and mitigates the city’s rising heat and pollution levels.
