Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SP)

Kundapur, Mar 2: Thousands of trees were felled between Kundapur and Shiroor for road expansion work. However, the enthusiasm one witnessed when cutting down the trees is absent in growing them again. Now, only a handful of trees have been planted along short stretches of the road.

The road was lined up with magnificent trees before the expansion work was undertaken. 9,309 trees were cut down for highway development. But to compensate this loss, 900 plants have been planted for a three km stretch between Tallur and Arate and 900 more on both sides between Mullikatte and Trasi. This accounts for only 19.33 percent of the trees which were uprooted.

Between Kundapur and Karwar, a total of 159 hectares of forest land has been given up for highway expansion. The highway department has to give Rs 76.56 lac rupees to the forest department for highway greenery. Twenty-five acres of forest is planned to be grown at the rate of three lac rupees per hectare. It is said that as compensation for the forest lost on the coast, 370 hectares of forest would be grown in Tumakuru district. Locals want to know whether this compensates the loss of the district.

The officials say they have not received grants for growing trees on the sides of the highway. This is the concern the officials have for environmental conservation.