Mysuru, May 25 -- Was tree-felling justified? Was the road-widening necessary at all?

The official inquiry ordered by Forest Minister B. Eshwar Khandre into the controversial felling of 40 trees along Hyder Ali Road in April has given a clean chit to the Forest Department officers, citing no procedural lapses.

However, the investigation has conspicuously sidestepped the core question raised by the Minister himself: Was the tree-felling justified and was the road-widening necessary at all?

The mass axing of trees - carried out overnight on Mar. 13 from the SP Office Junction to Kalikamba Temple Junction - drew strong backlash from citizens, environmental activists and social media users, sparking a wave of protests across the city. In r...