May 09, 2013

Public Release

Environmental Damage Caused by the BRTS Project and Citizens Struggle for Sustainable Development
Rashtrotthan Sankalp Trust (RASTR) has taken up the cause to set right the environmental damage caused by the widening of the highway between Hubballi and Dharwad for the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) under the name Mission 4000 Trees. Various Civil Society Organisations, environmentalists and citizens have joined hands in this cause. On the one hand, we are compelling the government and other agencies to compensate for the environmental damage caused by the project funded by the World Bank and on the other, we are creating awareness on this grave environmental issue among the citizens through public meetings, leaflet distribution, signature campaign, awareness in educational institutions, etc. The following is an account of the campaign of the citizens till date to protect the environment of the Hubballi-Dharwad region against blind and rampant concretization and preserve it for future generations! The 19.4 km highway between Hosur, Hubballi and Jubilee Circle, Dharwad in the twin-cities of Hubballi-Dharwad coming under State Highway 73 (SH-73), is being widened to 8 lanes by Hubballi-Dharwad BRTS Co. Ltd. RASTR has obtained information pertaining to the project through various means including conversations with officials, through the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 and the websites of various agencies. Some important documents may be found on our website http://rastr.in/M4KTrees.html. www.rastr.in Tel: +91.9916135836, +91.9886024990 email: info@rastr.in

Originally, the project scope was to widen the existing road between Hubballi and Dharwad to 4 lanes by KRDCL (http://www.krdcl.in). The contract was awarded to GVR Infra Projects Ltd., Chennai (http://www.gvrinfra.com/) at a price of Rs. 119.11 crores. The Security Deposit made by the Contractor is about Rs. 6 crores. The bids for the project were called in Aug. 2010. The execution commenced on 30-Apr-2011 and was scheduled to be completed by 29-Apr-2013. There was a Defect Liability period of 1 year after completion of the project, during which the contractor is obligated to repair the road for any defects found, failing which the Security Deposit may be forfeited. There was a further Maintenance Period of 2 years after the Defect Liability Period of 1 year. At present, there is confusion in the entire project. Now Hubballi-Dharwad BRTS have taken over the project. It is now proposed to make the road 8 lane wide. It is pathetic that the proponents of BRTS and 8 lane road between the twin cities did not explore the use of the existing railway line between the two cities. Use of the railway line (with necessary upgrades) which is within 100 meters of the proposed BRTS would have been not only economical but would have also prevented the irreparable damage caused to the local ecology. Railway as a mass rapid transit system is far less polluting than automobile based transport that the 8-lane highway will encourage. The State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) (http://www.seiaa.kar.nic.in) constituted by the Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India, has accorded Environmental Clearance (EC) to the project with the condition to plant about 4000 trees along the newly constructed highway as a compensation to the trees that are cut for the road widening. KRDCL has paid the Forest Department Rs. 27.24 lakhs only at a rate of Rs. 717 only per tree as compensatory afforestation charges.

Contractors pull down hundreds of Giant Trees along the Highway

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However, there are certain serious issues concerned with this matter as listed below: 1. Nearly 1800 fully grown trees which were part of the culture and heritage of DharwadHubballi were destroyed to make way for the project. 2. All the 1800 trees were auctioned off to contractors for a paltry consideration of Rs. 9 lakh only. 3. These 1800 trees destroyed included native trees of various types such as Neem, Banyan, Mango, Tamarind, Pipal, etc. with girth (trunk diameter) greater than 1 meter. Hundreds of them had a girth of 4 - 5 meters. 4. Many trees were hundreds of years old and were part of several generations of citizens of the twin city. They were shelter to numerous species of birds and other fauna. 5. Each tree is estimated to pump as much oxygen into the atmosphere as required by 10 human beings. Thus, oxygen required for nearly 20,000 people in the twin city is no more available after cutting of these trees. The damage done to the habitat of the fauna (animals and insects) dependent on these trees is not counted by the government. 6. A fully grown tree is estimated to cost about Rs. 50,000 per year in terms of its economical / ecological value. We would be losing Rs. 9 crores every year as a result of axing these 1800 fully grown trees. In twenty years, the loss would be about Rs. 180 crores 7. Thus the compensatory afforestation charge of Rs. 27.24 lakh is in fact no compensation to the huge ecological damage done to the environment of the twincity. 8. There is no space available on either side of the proposed road to take up avenue plantation, as private properties abut the highway. 9. Keeping these issues aside, it is shocking to know that neither KRDCL, nor H-D BRTS Co. Ltd., nor the Forest Department, Dharwad have any firm plans in place for the compensatory afforestation. In written replies to RTI queries, all the agencies have passed the buck to each other. 10. Further, the trees even if planted, will take years to grow to live independently. There are neither any provisions nor plans to shelter the trees or care for them until they grow up.

Dead Trunk of a magnificent ancient tree

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Environmental Experts including Shri Suresh Heblikar, Eco Watch, http://www.ecowatchindia.org/ have condemned this act of rampant cutting of the trees along the highway between Hubballi and Dharwad will affect the sensitive environment of this region resulting in adverse impact to Soil, Climate and the Rainfall. In addition, ground water resources also would be affected. It will affect the Bio Diversity of the region, thereby affecting the Agricultural and Horticultural crops too. The temperature will soar adding to the electricity bills. Hubballi-Dharwad is experiencing the shortage of water invariably. The loss of tree cover will further worsen the situation by critically disturbing the hydrological pattern and groundwater especially. For a lot of agricultural families, people who sell mangoes and guavas and fodder, and also shepherds, these trees were the shelter. Also, the migratory birds, aquatic birds took shelter on these trees. The bird population will also dwindle affecting pollination and the local biodiversity. In fact, lot of these trees would have been saved and still the road could have been widened. All said and done the precious environment has already been affected thus resulting in future economic fallout. Added to this, there would be more pollution caused by the increased traffic as a result of widening the road. The so-called Environmental Management Plan published on the website of the DULT and H-D BRTS Co. Ltd. (http://stg1.kar.nic.in/urbantransport/HD_Reports.html) has no mention of the tree cutting and compensatory afforestation or avenue plantation. The BRTS Co. is also misleading the World Bank and violating the Central Governments directions. Considering such serious lapses by KRDCL, H-D BRTS Co. Ltd. as well as the Karnataka Forest Department, RASTR had appealed the SEIAA to reconsider the matter and issue appropriate directions to KRDCL / Forest Department including: 1. Increased Compensatory Afforestation requirement 2. Directing KRDCL / Forest Department to publish a draft plan of compensatory afforrestation immediately. This must include: a. Number and types / species of trees to be planted b. Location of trees to be planted c. Watering and Protection to be provided to the saplings against animals d. Time-table / schedule for various activities

A meeting of the Civil Society on e. Long-term care and nurturing to each of the Mission 4000 Trees, H-D plants, defining the number of years the saplings will be watered, protected and cared for / maintained.
3. Form a five member Observers Team with representation from Environmental Experts and Civil Society to participate in the Compensatory Afforestation drive and to monitor

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and make appropriate recommendations to the authorities / agencies concerned to make the compensatory afforrestation plan successful. RASTR has taken up this cause under the name Mission 4000 Trees. Various Civil Society Organisations, environmentalists and citizens have pledged their support to this cause already. Civil society has been creating awareness on this grave environmental issue among the citizens through sessions in schools, colleges, institutions and on the internet. Till date over 10,000 signatures have been collected on a petition to the Chief Minsiter. On line signatures are available at http://www.change.org/en-IN/petitions/plant-4000trees-alonghubballi-dharwad-brts-highway. Over 3000 children belonging to various schools in the twincities have signed a special petition to the CM to intervene and save the environment in a campaign led by CMCA (http://www.cmcaindia.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=80&Itemid=60#) Civil society representatives have held several meetings since 2012 and have visited the Commissioner of Department of Urban Land Transport (DULT), Govt. of Karnatak, the M.D. of KRDCL, the Conservator of Forest, Dharwad, the D.C of Dharwad and the M.D of H-D BRTS to press for compensation to the environment. The citizens have also met the CM in this regard. The Demands put forth by the Citizens are as follows: 1. Publish a plan to take up Compensatory Afforestation at least at the rate of planting 10 native trees for every tree destroyed by the project i.e. plant 20,000 trees in HubballiDharwad as compensation. 2. Display the Environmental Clearance on boards prominently at the project site. 3. Publish a plan of Avenue Plantation immediately. This must include: a. Address, Telephone, FAX, email & website of the Agency / Official responsible for the Avenue Plantation for this project b. Area / land

identified for the Avenue Plantation

Civil Society meeting with the Conservator of Forest, Dharwad

c. Number and types / species of trees to be planted d. Specification of Protection / fencing / tree-guard to be provided to the saplings against cattle and other animals e. Watering and Manuring f. Time-table / schedule for various activities

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g. Long-term care and nurturing to each of the plants, defining the number of years the saplings will be watered, protected and cared for / maintained. 4. Form a five member Observers Team with representation from Environmental Experts and Civil Society to participate in the Avenue Plantation and Compensatory Afforestation drive and to monitor and make appropriate recommendations to the authorities to make the compensatory afforestation and Avenue Plantation plan successful.

Milestones / Chronology of events: c. 2010: MLA, Hubbali-Dharwad Central and Chief Minister, Jagadish Shettars pet project to widen highway between Hubballi & Dharwad starts, but without any consultation with the Citizens of the twincities. Apr-2011: KRDCL awards contract to widen the highway between Hubballi & Dharwad to 4 lanes Jun-2011: Forest department auctioned off 1800 age old trees, which were integral part of the culture of Dharwad-Hubballi, to timber contractors for a paltry sum of Rs. 9 lakhs. Hundreds of magnificent trees that adored the highway were brought down to ground without any firm plans for compensation! Aug-2011: Environmental Clearance received for the project; One of the conditions is to grow 4000 trees along the highway

May-2012: RASTR writes to SEIAA regarding no plans for avenue plantation and other violations of In response, HDBRTS Co. Environmental Clearance; RASTR obtains information and all government on the project through RTI and other means agencies have so far paid only lip service leaving Oct to Dec-2012: Several meetings of Civil Society the compensatory organised afforrestation and Avenue Oct-2012: Civil society demands KRDCL, Forest plantation in limbo. In a Department and Department of Urban Land Transport recent meeting of citizens to compensate the ecological damage. with BRTS M.D., Noor Oct. 2012: Signature campaign begins; Over 10,000 Mansoor, on 15-Feb-2013, signatures collected on a petition to the CM. the company made claims Jan. 2013: KRDCL transfers responsibility of the of planting 30,000 trees and project to H-D BRTS Co. Ltd. developing the ponds at May. 2013: RASTR complains to World Bank, which is Bhairidevarakoppa and financing the HD-BRTS upto Rs. 500 crores, that the Rayapur which are almost DULT / HD-BRTS Companys Environment destroyed due to the Management Plan (EMP) does make mention of the project, but could produce 1800 trees destroyed for the project. no concrete evidence of any steps taken to make Till Date: H-D BRTS Co. Ltd. has no firm plans of the plantation a reality. The avenue plantation or compensatory afforestation but engineering cross-section only promises in air to take the citizens for a ride! drawings of the 8-lane highway have no locations identified for avenue plantation.
Added to this there are inherent problems with BRTS. There is no space on either side of the proposed alignment for avenue plantation. The BRTS Company has failed to produce www.rastr.in Tel: +91.9916135836, +91.9886024990 email: info@rastr.in

cross-section plans of the road showing provisions for avenue plantation. The electric poles / lines have not been planned to accommodate avenue plantation. One of the biggest problems seems to be that of reconciling the old plan of 4 lane with the 8 lane BRTS. Only about 1 m median was planned for the original 4 lanes planned by KRDCL. Many kilometers of work as per this plan has been completed with crores of rupees spent for the concrete pavement. The CM is reported all set to inaugurate a stretch of the half completed highway with an eye on the impending assembly elections. The BRTS, however is having a 4 meters wide median. No one knows what will happen to the crores of rupees spent for the alignment with only 1 meter wide median space left at present, if BRTS has to have 4 meter wide median. RASTR has complained the World Bank, which is financing the HD-BRTS upto Rs. 500 crores, that the DULT / HD-BRTS Companys Environment Management Plan (EMP) does not even make a mention of the 1800 trees destroyed for the project, nor does it speak of even one tree to be planted in compensation, far from the claim of 30,000 trees made by HD-BRTS Co. The Citizens led by RASTR are determined to make Avenue plantation as envisaged in the Environmental Clearance and the Compensatory Afforestation a reality before the commissioning of the widened road / BRTS. More vigorous campaign is planned in the future and the civil society is gearing up to take the movement to the next level including intensified protests and exploring legal action. A huge Awareness and Protest March of citizens is planned on 5-June of the occasion of the World Environment Day. Citizens are requested and expected to join this campaign to preserve a better environment for themselves and present a greener future for their children!

Jai Hind!

(Santosh P. Nargund) Adhyaksha, Rashtortthan Sankalp Trust

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