40 trees felled in Mysuru for road widening sparking outrage among activists

40 trees felled in Mysuru for road widening, sparking outrage among citizens and environmentalists over compensatory afforestation plans.

The stillness of an early and quiet Sunday (April 13, 2025) morning in Mysuru was shattered as citizens awoke to the devastating sight of 40 towering trees felled under the cover of night, even as heavy earth-moving equipment began rumbling through to clear the stumps, in a move justified by the authorities as essential for road widening.

The citizens were taken aback and environmentalists cried foul as people were clueless about the incident until photographs began circulating on social media.

When contacted, the forest department officials said that the Mysuru City Corporation had sought permission for tree felling to take up road-widening from Kalikaman Temple on the Hyder Ali Road to the SP Office Circle.

The MCC had sought permission on February 12, 2025, for tree felling on the grounds that the road had to be expanded by 30 meters and the 40 trees were obstructing it.

When contacted, the Deputy Conservator of Forest Dr. K.N. Basavaraj, said permission was issued based on the project requirement but the MCC will have to compensate with 10 saplings per tree felled, and hence 400 saplings will be planted as compensatory afforestation. In reply to a question, he said public hearing is called for only if the number of trees sought to be felled is more than 50, and hence no objections were invited from the citizens in this case.

As per the evaluation and estimation of the forest department, the trees were at least 40 years old. This has incensed the citizens and a long-time resident of the area said the road did not have the volume of traffic to even merit widening, let alone tree-felling. All that was required was installation of a traffic signal or posting a traffic constable as the place is at the junction of three roads, he added.

Shylajesh, an environmentalist, said the compensatory sapling creates an illusion that the ecology was being protected. But anyone who understands ecology knows that a 40-year-old tree provides exponentially more carbon sequestration, shade, biodiversity support, and microclimate regulation than a sapling. Other activists pointed out that it will take decades for a sapling to grow and provide the same ecological benefits as the ones that were felled, provided these saplings survived at all.