Bengaluru civic body orders felling of 120 trees to install MiG fighter plane at memorial park

Bengaluru’s civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has issued a notification to cut down as many as 120 eucalyptus trees in the premises of National Military Memorial (NMM) Park to make way for the installation of a MiG fighter plane.

Speaking to Indianexpress.com, Ranganath Swamy, Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF), BBMP said there is a proposal to cut down these trees and plant medicinal plants in place of them. “The Eucalyptus trees are old and known for reducing the groundwater table and will plant medicinal plants.”

“There is a plan of the trust who is maintaining the park to install MiG fighter plane and other projects to redevelop the National Military Memorial park. There are about 156 trees in the premises but only 120 are planned to be cut and about 30 trees will be retained as it is,” he added.

The Karnataka High Court, in a recent order, had rejected the Bengaluru Metro’s proposal to cut down 629 eucalyptus trees to construct the Kothnur depot construction.