It is unfortunate that there has been an unnecessary controversy on the felling of 134 trees to widen Lalit Mahal road between ATI and Arch Gate. Instead of striving for a win win situation, this has turned into a fierce zero sum game between environmentalists and development oriented enthusiasts. Sustainable development is impossible without taking care of environment.
Mysoreans are divided into groups based on place of residence-those living close to Lalit Mahal Road and those away from it. When the world is becoming a global village, can we afford such a division? When Amazon forests are destroyed in Brazil to produce ethanol, the rest of the world is worried. The same is true when forests in South East Asia are destroyed to manufacture bio-diesel. Why are some of our political leaders questioning the rights and doubting the concern of environmentalists who live out side the area? The majestic trees lining Lalit Mahal Road belong to every one and not just to the people living in and around that road.
(Lalit Mahal Road: Since the footpath is cluttered, pedestrians are forced to use roads which can cause traffic accident. Based on MGP’s recent observation of vehicular movement (812 vehicles during 30 minutes between 5 to 5.30 PM on June 17, 2009 were observed by MGP’s member Syed Tanviruddin), vehicle density on Lalit Mahal Road is similar to the one on T Narasipur Road seven years back. Based on this one day random perhaps not representative shows that we need a detailed study to conclude that Lalit Mahal Road has high traffic as claimed by some. )
If only Mysoreans are fully informed of the real value of a tree, our reaction to felling of trees on the sly will be different. Value of a tree is not just what it fetches as timber or fire wood. Comparing value of a human life to value of a tree is not relevant. Such an emotive argument is just for debating purpose. After careful study, American Forestry Association in 1992, has estimated the value of a tree to be around Rs 50 lakhs (based in today’s rupees) taking into consideration air conditioning provided, prevention of soil erosion, wild life shelter, and reducing air pollution like absorbing green house gas carbon dioxide and generating oxygen. Indian scientists have also estimated similar figures. When we take into consideration the age, size, some being close to die etc, total value of these 134 trees to be felled may be around Rs 50 crores on a conservative basis. On this basis, Mysore City Corporation wants to destroy around Rs 50 crores of assets to widen a road to facilitate the “smooth” flow of traffic and to reduce accidents.
Can we justify widening Lalit Mahal Road the cost of which is not just the usual direct cost of acquiring land, preparing the road, asphalting etc but also involves the loss of trees? No such analysis has ever been done. But for anecdotal inferences and conclusions of increasing traffic, frequent traffic accidents, inconvenience to pedestrians, etc there is no economic analysis done to justify spending more than Rs 75 crores for widening Lalit Mahal Road. Is this a rational approach?
Just seven years back when Dalal Consultants conducted a traffic analysis of Mysore city, they considered ten busiest roads (Mysore-Bangalore, Hunsur, Ooty, KR Hospital to Bannimantap, Ramavilas, Chamaraja Double, T. Narasipura, Viswamanava Double, JLB and Sayyaji Rao) of the city. But Lalit Mahal Road was not one of them. In this short period can it become an important road in the city requiring the investment of such a huge amount?
According to that study, after Ooty Road and Mysore-Bangalore Road, it is T Narasipur Road which had the least amount of traffic. By implications, Lalit Mahal Road which runs parallel to it must have less traffic. Based on Dalal report, total accidents in Mysore in 2001 were 607 (103 fatal). There does not appear to have any correlation between density of traffic and road accidents. In recent years fatal accident rate in Mysore has sky rocketed reaching a maximum of 215 in 2005 and then declining to 178 in 2008. While Lalit Mahal Road has recorded fatal accident of 10 in 2008, it was 11 on T Narasipur with higher traffic density. Other roads like JLB, Mahadevpur, and Bangalore-NilagiriRoads had higher accident rates in 2008. It is a mystery why MCC has given such a high priority to widen Lalit Mahal Road when other roads with higher traffic density and accidents are crying out for help?
The traffic accident research has also shown that just widening the road does not lead to lower accidents. The main cause for accident is not the width of the road nor the road conditions. The main reason given by the police for traffic accidents is the over speeding and reckless driving. Research has also shown that strict enforcement of traffic laws will reduce accidents. How many of us are agitating for that?
If we want to promote tourism in Mysore, it is not just four or six lane wide roads which attract tourists. It is the heritage boulevards like Lalit Mahal Road with trees add to the charm of a city. In Mysore we do not have many tree lined boulevards. Should we not preserve the ones we have even if it results in some minor inconvenience to some of the car owners living in and around Lait Mahal Road?
When the remaining part of the Outer Ring Road is completed and also Teresian College is widened (where there are relatively very few trees), traffic density on Lalit Mahal road which is really not all that critical will be bound to go down. Movement of sand trucks can be limited to night time as has been done on other roads. It is true that as some of the layouts get developed, number of vehicles will go up. Even then it will not reach a critical level to need the widening of the road. If drivers follow the traffic rules and discipline, the present road should be more than enough to meet the possible traffic density increase for the next 15 to 25 years.
Our energy planners are assuming that even in India, vehicle ownership (especially after Tata’s Nano) will continue to increase rapidly and congest the roads. In Mysore also we will soon face this problem soon. However this will be more critical in other parts of Mysore than on Lalit Mahal Road( that may be one of the reasons for Dalal Consultants not to have studied this road). On the other hand, there is another scenario which may take us in the opposite direction.
There are looming problems of peak oil (some experts claim that world oil production has reached the peak already or will reach soon) and global warming. Because of these twin problems, there will be a brake on vehicle growth in the long run. From this point we need not worry about the potential problem of continuing traffic increase in the future on this road. Still as some have suggested as an insurance policy, MCC should ask land owners to leave more clearance on the right side of the boulevard (opposite to ATI) in K C. Layout to widen the road in the future so that we need not cut the trees. Existing trees can act as dividers.
Some ask the question why there has been no opposition to felling of trees when Makkaji Chowka is being constructed or a five star hotel is constructed near the race course. In fact it was MGP which had prevented the felling of trees by taking a recourse to chipko movement when they wanted to felling of trees in mid 90s. MGP has also objected to the construction of makkaji since it will give rise to traffic congestion. Since both these are considered as important for “development”, and there are no obvious alternatives, and also since we had protested against them once, there was just no pent up energy to take these causes. Perhaps MGP may be wrong that it did not protest enough. But one possible wrong need not lead to another blunder by keeping quiet now.
Which are the invisible forces supporting the felling of trees and widening the road? It is not the protest from 17 corporators or some residents of Kurubarhalli. Alternates suggested and insurance policy of acquiring land will result in a win win situation for all. Now that all the obstacles on completing the Outer Ring Road is removed, officials should move on war path to complete it and also widening of Teresian College Road. Let us leave Lalit Mahal Road as it is with no felling of trees to maintain old charm and preserve Mysore’s one of the important priceless heritage boulevards.
Bhamy V Shenoy, Convener, Mysore Grahakara Parishat