Guwahati, July 16 -- Dattatreya T. Devare, a Bengaluru-based environmentalist and civic activist, is a prominent voice in advocating for sustainable urban development and environmental conservation. As a trustee of the Bangalore Environment Trust (BET), he's been instrumental in protecting trees and promoting greener urban transport solutions. Devare is particularly recognized for his legal activism, which has established crucial processes to prevent indiscriminate tree felling in cities. He was recently in Guwahati to deliver a public lecture on tree felling for infrastructure.

In this interview with Paresh Malakar, Devare discusses his lifelong connection to nature and the escalating conflict between urban development and environmental...