A voluntary body, mainly comprising former senior bureaucrats and Indian Armed Forces veterans working for multi-pronged betterment of the Madhya Pradesh capital, has claimed that preparations are being made for chopping at least 30,000 green trees for implementing the Smart City project in this City of lakes.
"Known for its natural beauty and greenery across the country besides its lakes, Bhopal has been included in the Smart City project. We are not opposing the project. However, preparations are being made to cut 30,000-40,000 trees in Tulsi Nagar and Shivaji Nagar areas for the project," Bhopal Citizen's Forum Convener HK Bhavnani told media here.
"The Forum is opposed to it. It is trying initiate a dialogue with the government and the administration to prevent it. If it fails in its endeavour, the Forum would move the court," he said adding that cutting of trees in such huge numbers would be the second biggest environmental disaster for the city after the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy.
Bhavnani said the Centre has provided for re-development of 50 acre or more under the project.
However, a large area of 350 acre has been included. Moreover, Tulsi Nagar and Shivaji Nagar are already quite developed.
Forum member Asit C Chandra believes that systematic development of the city should be carried out under the Smart City project.
He felt that the selection of Tulsi Nagar and Shivaji Nagar for development is inappropriate as there were other nearby areas where huge possibilities for development exist.
He said a delegation of the Forum had met Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on May 11, 2015, and urged that the draft of Bhopal Master Plan 2031 be made public.
However, no step has been taken in this direction thus far. He said the Forum would be forced to take next step, as the regime has not paid attention towards these demands.