Amend Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act, MGP appeals to Khandre

Two more massive tree felling projects — 175 trees in Dattagalli and 125 along the Mananthavadi Road — have been marked for felling, says MGP working prez

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @Mysuru

THE Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP), a citizens forum working for consumer rights and civic and environmental issues, has written a letter to Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre appealing to amend the Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act 1976 to protect the trees from being indiscriminately cut in the name of development.

In the letter dated April 22, MGP working president S Shobana along with People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) president Kamal Gopinath stated that there has been a spontaneous outpouring of public grief and outrage at the irresponsible chopping down of 45 trees on Hyder Ali road in Mysuru. This unconscionable incident demonstrates how government officials are at times not only completely out of step with the sentiments of the people but also lack basic ecological sensitivity.