India, April 27 -- Bengaluru has been grappling with an intense heat spell over the past few days, leaving residents struggling with unusually high temperatures. Amid the rise, an Indian Forest Service (IFS), Dipika (Goyal) Bajpai officer took to social media platform X, raising concerns about disforestation and reigniting debate over rapid urbanisation and the city's declining green cover.

Sharing her concerns on X, Bajpai wrote, "Bangalore has seen heat like never before. Part of the problem is large-scale deforestation and concrete roads, with roadside trees gone permanently. We will pay a heavy price in the coming years." She added that only "aggressively" planting roadside trees, creating urban forest parks and mandating greenery in...