Mysore/Mysuru: While the Hyder Ali Road has been widened and transformed into a sleek twin carriageway along the 360-metre stretch between Kalikamba Temple and SP Office Circle, the makeover has come at a high ecological cost.
More than 40 trees were felled overnight on April 17, 2025, to make way for the project, sparking outrage among environmentalists and triggering protests.
Environmental activists strongly criticised the mass felling of trees and accused the authorities of failing to carry out compensatory greening. They had demanded that saplings be planted in place of the lost trees and nurtured to maturity.
Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) officials had assured that new saplings would grow to about 12 feet within five years, but the promise remained unfulfilled. Later, a private firm, Raghulal & Co., planted saplings along the roadside, installed protective guards and watered them for a few months. However, these too were uprooted during the construction of footpaths.
With neither the Civic Body nor private efforts succeeding, the widened road now stands largely stripped of greenery, resembling a barren stretch. Only a handful of trees remain between Kalikamba Temple and the SP Office, offering some relief to residents.
Residents now hope that, in the name of development, these surviving trees will at least be spared the axe.
Saplings will be planted in May-June
The civil works on the widened Hyder Ali Road are nearing completion. As it is summer now, planting saplings at this stage will not be effective. Markings have already been made and saplings will be planted in May-June when the monsoon begins. If planted at the onset of the monsoon, the saplings will not require much maintenance until the next summer. In addition, we plan to plant 1,500 saplings across the nine Zones of the Mysuru City Corporation. —Shaikh Tanveer Asif, Commissioner, MCC
