Bengaluru: The planned tree translocation at Jayamahal is very much on and the Mysuru royal family is fully backing it, a member of the family told Deccan Chronicle on Sunday. ”We are waiting for a date from the tree translocation expert,” the royal family member, who did not wish to be named, clarified.
It was earlier reported that Princess Indrakshi Devi (sister of late Srikantadatta Wodeyar) had told the BBMP that she was backing out from the translocation project to avoid the royal family’s name from being dragged into the controversy.
Citizens’ for Bengaluru (CFB) had 'written to the princess asking her to back out from the project, as no proper DPR or assessment was done by the BBMP.
The royal family member confirmed to this newspaper that they had never backed out from the project. “It was wrongly reported in some newspapers. As many of the trees marked for felling are on our property, it is only right that we try to save them by getting them translocated,” the royal family member said.
The tree translocation expert has asked the Mysuru royal family members m to wait till the May 16 to assign a date. They insist they chose the expert because of his high success rate in tree translocation.
“The expert we chose is from Gujarat. He has been asked by the Union Government to translocate close to 800 trees as part of a national highway project. It is only right that we wait for him to confirm a date,” the royal family member added.
When contacted by Deccan Chronicle, tree doctor and urban conservationist Vijay Nishanth confirmed that the trial translocation of five trees at Jayamahal was very much on the anvil and that the Mysuru royal family had never backed out.
“The royal family has always been extremely concerned about the trees on Jayamahal Road, as they have planted many of them,” Nishanth told this newspaper.
With the city witnessing successful translocation of four trees from Sarjapur road on Saturday, there is a ray of hope that a few trees earmarked for felling on Jayamahal Road can be saved.
