Bhopal’s Proposed Bungalows for Ministers Threaten 29K Trees, Trigger Protests

Bhopal‘s Shivaji Nagar and Tulsi Nagar areas are at the center of an ongoing debate. A proposal
to build bungalows for ministers and MLAs in these neighborhoods could result in the felling of about 29,000 trees. This prospect has sparked protests from residents and environmental activists.

Former Congress minister and MLA PC Sharma, along with others, have staged demonstrations against the tree cutting. They argue that the government has already displaced people in the name of a smart city project. Now, they fear thousands more could be uprooted with this redevelopment plan.

Women are playing a particularly active role in the fight to save Bhopal’s greenery. Hundreds have gathered to hug trees and plead for their preservation. They warn of a “Chipko movement” similar to the one in Uttarakhand if the government goes through with the plan.

Women clung to the trees and started caressing them emotionally saying the trees were like their children, witnesses to their every joy and sorrow. ‘We have been living here for more than 50 years. We have attachment to them,’ said one of the women protestors.

These protestors view the mature trees, some 50-60 years old, as vital for Bhopal’s environment. They argue that the city’s existing bungalows for ministers and MLAs can be redeveloped instead.

Sharma contends that the proposal will leave thousands homeless and destroy irreplaceable parts of Bhopal’s environment. He vows to raise the issue in parliament and fight to protect both the residents and the trees.