Bengaluru: Walkers, environmental activists and residents formed a human chain near Lalbagh Rock Sunday morning to protest the proposed tunnel road project, saying it would threaten the botanical garden’s ancient geological heritage, biodiversity, and tree cover.Organised by Lalbagh Walkers’ Association, the demonstration drew around 50 participants across age groups, who joined hands near the iconic rock formation and urged the state govt to scrap the project. Protesters said Bengaluru’s ecological assets should not be sacrificed for infrastructure development.BV Sridhar Rao, a member of the association who has been walking in the garden for over 30 years, said successive govts had previously responded to citizens’ concerns instead of treating them as matters of prestige. “There was an earlier proposal for a Metro line and station inside Lalbagh, which would have required felling around 400 trees. There was also a proposal for a multi-level parking facility near Siddapura gate. Citizens opposed both projects, and the govts of the day listened to our concerns and modified or shelved them. This govt too should hear the voice of the people instead of making it a prestige issue,” he said.Rao said the proposed tunnel road also threatened the Peninsular Gneiss rock formation, estimated to be over 3.3 billion years old.Parvathi Sriram, state general secretary of the environmental organisation Parisarakkagi Naavu, said the tunnel could irreversibly damage the ancient rock formation and disrupt the city’s groundwater system.“The tunnel road threatens the layers of this crucial rock formation and, in turn, the groundwater system. Lalbagh is one of the few remaining lung spaces in Bengaluru. A report by an expert team from the Geological Survey of India assessing the tunnel’s impact on Lalbagh is still awaited. The project must be dropped,” she said.Saying the human chain aimed to raise public awareness about Lalbagh’s ecological and heritage significance, the protesters urged govt to pursue infrastructure projects without compromising the city’s natural assets.
