The Union environment committee has issued 20 environmental directives for the Peripheral Road project.
Story so far: The Union environment committee has greenlit Bangalore Development Authority’s (BDA) Peripheral Ring Road project. Land acquisition is the next hoop for the eight-lane project to jump through.
- The clearance is contingent on the BDA complying with 20 directives, like afforestation and rainwater harvesting.
- Heritage trees are off-limits. The BDA has to bypass trees that host pelicans and storks.
A chequered past: Initially, the BDA had grossly underestimated the project’s environmental impact. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had overridden its first clearance in 2014.
- Then, officials claimed that the project needed only 200 trees to be felled. Last year’s report reveals that the number is 32,175 trees.