Bhopal Smart City Development Corporation Limited (BSCDCL) has taken a decision to translocate around 1,800 trees in the city, rather than cutting them down.
As per reports, the translocation will begin with the trees in TT Nagar. BSCDCL has called for a survey and the roads along Shymla Hills and Kaliasot River have been marked for the translocation. Close to 300 trees will be translocated to Kaliasot in the first phase.
Experts from the horticulture department have been consulted and it has been confirmed that trees can grow well in the black soil on the banks of Kaliasot River.
Also, about 800 truckloads of soil from the Upper Lake area have already been dumped along the smart road construction site.
As per the forest department estimates, there are around 5,700 trees of over 70 species in the smart city development area. Out of these, several trees have already been cut.
Loss of green cover was one of the primary apprehensions regarding smart city development in Shivaji Nagar. The site was later moved to TT Nagar area where work is underway.
According to the smart city plan presented in 2017 by BSCDCL, it had pledged to keep 80% of the green cover and to take further measures to increase the green cover in TT Nagar.
More than 1,000 trees were lost during the construction of Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) in Bhopal around a decade ago. The ecological impact of low green cover in the middle of Bhopal is yet to be ascertained.
According to reports, the pollution levels in the vicinity are one of the highest in the state capital and given the forthcoming increase in construction activity, the air pollution is expected to increase.
