The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Friday directed the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) to respond to applications challenging diversion of 10,000 acres of Amrit Mahal Kavals grassland ecosystems to a variety of public sector and commercial projects by October 30 or face serious consequences.
The South Zone bench of the NGT, based in Chennai, warned the ministry that failure to comply, by filing an appropriate response, would attract a fine of Rs1 lakh in each of the two applications that were filed by city-based Environment Support Group and Leo Saldanha.
The NGT bench, comprising Justice M Chockalingam and expert member Prof R Nagendran, lambasted the “failure” on the part of the ministry to file its response even seven months after being directed to do so, and asserted that this was “indicative of the careless attitude on the part of the officials of the respondent (MoEF)”.
The tribunal had earlier, on August 21, ordered a status quo on all project activities proposed in these grasslands of Challakere taluk in Chitradurga district. The directions were issued on the interim prayers of applications that complained that the Defence Research Development Organisation, Indian Institute of Science, Indian Space Research Organisation, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Karnataka Small Scale Industries Development Corporation, and Karnataka Housing Board, among others, had commenced project activities in these ecologically sensitive areas in absolute violation of laws protecting the environment, wildlife, forests, and people’s rights.
It had also directed the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) to review any pending applications for clearances sought from project proponents in due accordance with law over the following fortnight. The KSPCB in that period considered two applications for consent.
It was argued that both the ministry and the Karnataka government suppressed this fact before the tribunal. Consequently, any action on the matter would be subject to this issue being resolved first. In response, the NGT issued the notice.
