India, Oct. 26 -- The Karnataka High Court on Saturday directed the state government to clarify whether it intends to cut down trees inside Bengaluru's historic Lalbagh Botanical Garden for the proposed twin tunnel project.

The direction came during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Bengaluru-based actor and civic activist Prakash Belawadi, who has challenged the project's alignment near Lalbagh Rock, a national geological monument estimated to be three billion years old.

Appearing on behalf of Belawadi, BJP MP and advocate Tejasvi Surya argued before a bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C.M. Poonacha that the project's plan threatens both the ecological and geological heritage of Lalbagh, n...