626 tree-felling proposal for new jail project in Devanahalli sparks conservation concerns

The Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation has sought approval to axe 626 trees in Devanahalli. The corporation intends to construct a non-residential building and road as part of a proposed central jail complex to house 600 inmates. This request, submitted to the state forest department, has triggered environmental concerns amid a parallel public outcry against the Railway Land Development Authority’s plan to cut 368 trees for another infrastructure project.

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In April 2025, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike invited public feedback on the jail project. Following protocol under the Karnataka Tree Preservation Act, 1976, the forest department issued a public notice on May 31, offering citizens ten days to submit objections.

Forest officials recently conducted a site inspection and advised jail authorities to consider translocating the trees instead of felling them. A new 153-acre tree park in Madapanahalli, Yelahanka, currently under development, could potentially serve as a relocation site, although translocation remains a costly option.

The proposed open jail will span over 100 acres. The site is currently planted primarily with Melia Dubia trees in 2014—known for their medicinal value—also features teak plantations, for which felling permissions have been denied. The land supports banana, mango, and sugarcane cultivation, along with cattle and poultry farming, maintained by around 15 current inmates.

A detailed land report has been prepared, but the forest department has not yet made a final decision on the tree-felling request.