[sustran] HASIRU USIRU: PUBLIC CONSULTATION on ROAD WIDENING SCHEMES OF BENGALURU: IMPACTS AND ALTERNATIVES

[ESG India]

*/HASIRU USIRU/*

 

&

 

*Environment Support Group ®*

105, East End B Main Road,

Jayanagar 9^th Block East,

Bengaluru 560069

Tel: 91-80-22441977/26531339  Voice/Fax: 91-80-26534364

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*

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*CIVIC*

 #6,  Kasturi Apts, 2nd floor, No.35/23,  Langford Road Cross,   
Shanthinagar,

Bengaluru 560025

Tel:  2211 0584 / 41144126 / 2271 1001 / 98803 97401

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*Alternative Law Forum*

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/Cordially invite you /

/to attend the/

 

* PUBLIC CONSULTATION*

* *

*on*

* *

*ROAD WIDENING SCHEMES OF BENGALURU: IMPACTS AND ALTERNATIVES*

 

*/Date/*/: //20^th December 2007//, Thursday*                        
   Venue*: Senate Hall, //Central// //College//, Bengaluru/

*/ /*

*/Programme/*//

/ Display of Road Widening Scheme Drawings: //4:00 PM -- 5:00 PM///

/Discussion on the Scheme: //5:00 PM  -- 7:00 PM///

/ /

/ /

The Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka and Members of the 
Bangalore Metropolitan Land Transport Authority are expected to actively 
participate in these proceedings.

 

 

 

*_Background note_*:

 

Known and recognised as the Garden City, a positive distinction of the 
rare kind, Bengaluru's landscape is defined seasonally by the blooms in 
its tree lined corridors. Unfortunately, the fast changing dynamics 
within the city along with a burgeoning population and unplanned 
'development' has led to the often illogical and ruthless removal of 
these trees. */Hasiru Usiru/ *(HU), a network of concerned citizens, has 
over the years endeavored to work towards finding creative means in 
which to conserve this identity of the city.

 

The group has evolved from a loose informal group to one which is now 
recognised and appreciated for its interest in different aspects of the 
city's environment and social justice concerns. The Hon'ble High Court 
of Karnataka decided on a PIL filed by Environment Support Group in 2005 
(WP No. 14104/2005 (GM-PIL) against such indiscriminate tree felling, 
that all decisions relating to protection of trees or according 
permission to fell them would be per the Karnataka Preservation of Trees 
Act. The judgement also vitally recognised the positive involvement and 
deep concerns of the public in such processes and highlighted that the 
/Hasiru Usiru/ network should be involved by the government in all its 
decisions on projects where trees were to be felled.**

 

*_The current issue_*:

 

It had come to light in the last few months that the BBMP has been 
planning to undertake a major Road Widening scheme to accommodate the 
growing traffic and to deal with the congestion in the city's core 
areas. This would lead to the felling of thousands of trees within the 
city along with the removal of existing road infrastructure -not to 
mention affecting a wide number of open spaces and private properties. 
In addition there are a range of concerns relating to rights of 
pedestrians, cyclists, the elderly and the physically challenged, 
children, pavement vendors, etc. To summarise, the scheme would result 
in a drastic and irreversible change in the landscape and environment of 
the city.

 

Concerned about the logic of this decision, network members approached 
the Chief Secretary, Mr. Mahishi, on 19^th October 2007 with the request 
of a more public and open process of decision making. The outcome was a 
larger discussion with the Bangalore Metropolitan Land Transportation 
Authority (BMLTA) on the 30^th of November 2007 regarding the management 
of the city's growing traffic congestion issues. Sadly, while the 
discussion ranged over a wide variety of topics with the mention of 
various internationally recognised and lauded methods of managing 
traffic in urban conglomerates such as charging cess on personal 
vehicles, increasing public transportation facilities, etc., no concrete 
decisions resulted from this meeting.

 

Recognising the need for urgent action, it was felt that a Public 
Consultation regarding the scheme would not only benefit the public 
through a larger dissemination of information, but would also lead to a 
process which identifies the vitality of the citizens and their 
participation in their own city's management. 

 

*_Organisers_*:

* *

*Environment Support Group* is a registered non-profit public interest 
research, training, campaign and advocacy initiative working on a 
variety of social and environmental justice issues.

*Citizens Voluntary Initiative for the City*- CIVICs primary mandate is 
to generate and disseminate empowering information to the citizens of 
Bengaluru and to activate and mobilize participation of the local people 
in the planning, administration and management of the affairs of the 
Local Authorities.

*Alternative Law Forum* (ALF) recognises itself as a space that 
integrates alternative lawyering with critical research, alternative 
dispute resolution, pedagogic interventions and more generally 
maintaining sustained legal interventions in various social issues.