By Express News Service BENGALURU: Hundreds of children gathered near Sarjapur and hugged the trees that will be axed, following proposal for road widening works by the Karnataka Road Development Corporation Ltd (KRDCL). About 200 students from various schools gathered in badges between Dommasandra Circle and Varthur and hugged the trees, tied green bands around it, and expressed their love for their green friends. Deepanjali Naik, a Member of Voice of Sarjapura said, “The trees were the children’s valentine for the day. They hugged them, sang poems regarding the tree, and also made drawings on placards. The stretch has about 500 trees which have indigenous and canopy trees. We do not want them to be cut.”A student from Sandeepani School of Excellence said, “We are the future and we need to protect trees. They provide us shade on this stretch, and if they are chopped, the entire road will be full of dust and the temperature will increase.” Meanwhile, a group of citizens went to the KRDCL office and met the Managing Director (MD) B S Shivakumar and submitted a letter demanding immediate halt on the cutting of these trees. The letter stated that they want public consultation by inviting experts and citizens to interact, at least six months in advance. “Sufficient, widely accessible notice — in English and in Kannada — should be provided at least a month before consultation date. Transparency regarding the reason for the project with relevant data and research, impact analysis on social and health parameters, detailed project report (DPR) and environment impact assessment (EIA) report should also be provided.” Rajani Santosh, a volunteer said, “We want all the above demands to be fulfilled. We also require them to give us a good reason for the initiation of the project.”

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