BDA NPKL: Thousands of plants are drying up

 Tens of crores of wasteful expenditure in the development of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda BDA

BDA NPKL: Thousands of plants are drying up

Kere Manjunath ಕೆರೆ ಮಂಜುನಾಥ್ 

 Bengaluru: Thousands of trees planted by Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) at a cost of tens of crores for four years are withering in Nadaprabhu Kempegowda barangay.

 Officials say that the BDA Forest Department has planted lakhs of saplings in Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Barangay (NPKL) for four years in the name of Environment Day, Afforestation, Greenery. It is also said that more than one thousand was spent per sapling.  But now most of the plants are not left.

 'We will make all BDA areas green', road side and road divider saplings have been planted. The gardens are planted with saplings without any outline.  All these were complicated for the development of the garden. Before the development of the garden, the plants that were haphazardly planted there have also dried up.

 "There are saplings only according to BDA forest department, in reality there are no saplings on the roads.  Only 'plant protectors' can be seen scattered among the unwanted weeds in NPKL's paddy fields. The saplings have not been watered or maintained. Thus, everything is dry' complained the locals Rajesh, Shobha, Gangadhar and Manohar.

 BDA forest department officials were saying that more than one lakh saplings have been planted in NPKL. But, in reality, almost a quarter of the plants are not here. In some places only bamboo plant guards are seen. Plants not required locally are being grown in nurseries. Environmental activists alleged that despite the knowledge that the trees that grow in the forest do not grow in the city environment, such plants are also being grown for calculation and cost.

Survey underway: BDA

 It has been noticed that many plants are dry in Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Barangay (NPKEL). These plants will be removed and new saplings will be planted," said Deputy Director of BDA Forest Department N. Chidananda told 'Prajavani'.

 About ₹30 crore has been spent to plant saplings not only in NPKEL but also in all the barangays of BDA. The contracts were awarded to Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Corporation (KRIDL) as it was a short duration tender. Some leases may have expired. Everything is being surveyed. New saplings will be planted,' he said.

 No punishment for extravagance?

 Almost all of the saplings planted by the BDA forest department in Nadaprabhu Kempegowda district for four years have dried up. Once planted, no one has looked back. We had already insisted that you should not overspend, plant only if you want to maintain. But no one listened. They spent crores and planted saplings to show the record. Environmental activist Gowdaiah demanded that disciplinary action should be taken against such people and punishment should be given.

 They all say that they cannot give a contract to KRIDL. But the officials of BDA forest department have given them contracts to make money and have devoured crores of rupees. They say that not us, but those who were in the past did it. He demanded that whoever did it should be investigated and punished.