Bengaluru: Water Resources Minister M.B. Patil informed the Legislative Assembly that work on Yettinahole project has been suspended till December 7. Making a statement on Thursday, Mr Patil said the government, to avoid a stay by the Green Bench of the Supreme Court, had agreed to stop work till the next hearing.
A petition was filed before the Green Bench challenging the government taking up construction in non-forest areas, before obtaining MoEF permission to divert forest land for the project. The bench had observed that taking up work in non-forest land of a project, which involves diversion of forest areas before MoEF clearance was given, was illegal and asked why the project should not be stayed.
Since there was only half an hour time to convince the court and the government counsel needed some more time to furnish all the relevant documents, the government counsel obtained time till the next hearing, Mr Patil said. His statement came under criticism from all three parties.
While Mr Jagadish Shettar and Mr Shivalinge Gowda questioned why the government counsel was not prepared with documents, former Speaker Ramesh Kumar wondered how work in non-forest land would be stopped, when work is not taking place in forest land. Mr Patil said the court had to be convinced over government getting environment clearance exemption for the project as well as MoEF correspondence on the clearance.
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