Bangalore metro and tree lovers row

Bangalore metro rail project becomes controversial issue, facing new challenges from tree lover and NGO at Bangalore. But with the Metro authorities remaining adamant that there will be no change in the alignment of the Metro. Emotions ran so high over the felling of trees in the historical Lalbagh Garden that police protection was considered necessary while this work was being done. "We really want to save Lalbagh. If Metro can go underground near Vidhana Soudha and Majestic where no trees are being felled, why can't it go underground in front of Lalbagh where more trees have been cut?" said a Resident. But Metro authorities say that going underground is at least twice as expensive.
"There is generally a wrong perception that going underground will actually lead to cutting of less trees. Our experience says that it is not so. In fact in the underground alignment of 9 kilometres there are almost 1,100 trees which are to be felled. Whereas in the whole of the elevated section of 32 kilometres we are felling only about 2000 trees," said S Sivasailam, MD, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. The protesting tree lovers say that the trees should be saved at any cost, even if it means taking the Metro underground. Bangalore metro project is working with slow speed and it is expected that it will not complete on deadline.