Over 400 trees of Forest Park will be cut to make way for Bhubaneswar metro rail; city’s ‘Oxygen Chamber’ in threat

Bhubaneswar, Sept 12: Over 400 trees will be cut in Forest Park (Biju Patnaik Park) for the Bhubaneswar Metro Rail Project. The Bhubaneswar Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC) has written to the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) to handover a major portion of the Biju Patnaik Park as four pillars are planned to be erected inside the park area.

The BMRCL officials recently conducted soil testing of the area and cutting of trees will begin after land acquisition approval of the BDA, said a senior official of the metro rail project.

The damage to the major green cover of the capital city of Odisha has raised concern among environmentalists.

The park, a cherished heaven for morning walkers, joggers, yoga enthusiasts, and children, is set to lose a substantial portion of its verdant expanse.  Environmentalists warn that the loss of these mature trees will not only impact the city's air quality but also disrupt the delicate ecological balance. The park, with its proximity to the busy airport road and the Capital Hospital, serves as a vital green buffer, mitigating noise pollution and providing a much-needed respite from urban chaos.

“Scores of massive trees, some over a hundred years old, of Biju Patnaik Park are going to be axed. Which will damage the green cover of the rapidly going Bhubaneswar city,” opined the regular visitors to the park

The city's beloved Biju Patnaik Park sprawling over 23-acre green cover is often referred as the "oxygen chamber," of Bhubaneswar city. The proposed felling of trees for the metro rail project will no doubt pose a threat to the city’s biodiversity, he added.

The metro project, while crucial for the city's development, has ignited a debate about the balance between progress and environmental preservation.

Notably, former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had laid the foundation stone for the proposed metro project at Trisulia on January 1 this year.

Odisha government has roped in Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for the project with a deadline of four years. Rs 6,255 crore will be invested for the BMRC in the first phase.