Citizens rally to save heritage trees in Bengaluru Cantonment

The Cantonment Railway Colony, home to over 370 heritage trees, was under threat of being axed for a commercial complex. We at Jhatkaa.org stood alongside citizens, environmentalists, and organisations in the fight to protect this vital green space.

Together, we amplified the voices of more than 15,000 people – through petitions, campaigns, and thousands of written objections – calling on the government to safeguard this biodiversity-rich area.

Thanks to this collective effort, the Forest Minister has declared the 8.61-acre site a Biodiversity Heritage Site under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002. A historic win for Bengaluru and people power!

In June, 2025,

Karnataka Minister of Forest, Ecology and Environment Eshwar Khandre visited Bengaluru Cantonment where concerned citizens requested him to save the heritage trees from facing the axe. Minister Khandre has called for a meeting to discuss the issue while promising to convert the region into a biodiversity park. More details on next steps are awaited. 

The BBMP Forest Department took a strong stand by issuing a formal letter to the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA), demanding that the tree-felling proposal, in Bengaluru Cantonment, be re-evaluated in entirety. 

BBMP directed RLDA to respond in detail to every single objection raised by citizens like you. They’ve made it clear that generic or vague answers simply won’t do.

Along with Namma Bengaluru Foundation (NBF), we submitted over 3,000 objections to the tree felling proposal for the construction of a commercial complex in the Bengaluru Cantonment area. 

This is a win for all of us, who sent in our objections! So the next time you’re in doubt about the power of your action, think of this. Because when we act together, we make it impossible to be ignored!