The many violations that allowed Mantri Developers to encroach on Bellandur Lake, with help from government authorities, is not an isolated case in Bengaluru. But the surprise verdict of the National Green Tribunal gives hope that the churning of our lakes might yet stop.
It was a rare victory for greens fighting to save what is left of the city's lakes. But they are savouring this moment and applauding the National Green Tribunal (NGT)'s decision to penalise Mantri Tech Zone , a subsidiary of Mantri Developers, and Coremind Software and Services for violating environmental laws and building in the area between the Agara and Bellandur lakes in violation of the law. Besides ordering the demolition of massive structures already built, the NGT has made it clear that any further construction will be allowed only in the safe zone - 75 metres from the lake and 50 metres from the storm water drain. The principal bench of the tribunala lso directed Mantri Tech Zone to restore and rejuvenate 3.10 acres of lake land, it has allegedly encroached on, to its original state.
A day after the order, the 98 acres, which are home to the projects of both Mantri Tech Zone and Coremind Software and Services, have been cordoned off with zinc sheets and the two entry points to the grounds secured tight. Of the land in question, 63 acres have been allotted to Mantri by the KIADB and 27 acres belong to Coremind Software.
The verdict seems to have come as a surprise to the builders as even while the case was still pending they continued with their projects in the area. In fact, even as the petition by Forward, Bengaluru Environment Trust, Praja Raag, Namma Bengaluru Foundation (NBF) and Citizens Action Forum (CAF) was still being heard by the NGT , Mantri went ahead and added five more floors to the existing three floors of the building it was constructing near the lakes.
Welcoming the brake now put on the construction, one of the petitioners to the case, Dr. Radhakrishnan , who is a member of the Koramangala Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA) , laments that it has completely changed the physical quality of the valley and the wetlands that carry the overflowing water from Agara lake to Bellandur lake.
“The lakes have been planned to have a cascading network. But due to the encroachment of the wetland by the builders, which cut off of the natural flow of the storm water, Bellandur lake was deprived of fresh water and the low lying areas nearby like ST Bed and Koramangala were marooned every monsoon, throwing normal life out of gear,” he notes, regretting the nexus between officials and builders, which allowed the latter to encroach upon a wetland and flout the law.
“Although the builders planned massive structures sprawling over one million sq. ft Mantri builders obtained clearance for construction of 20,000 sq. feet from the BWSSB and then approached a single window agency to get clearance for the one million sq. ft. And instead of getting a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the HAL airport, they got it from the Bengaluru International Authority Areas Planning Authority (BIAAPA). These were blatant violations made only to get the project going,” Mr. Radhakrishnan charges.
NGT pressure: Will it work beyond Bellandur, Agara, clean up our lakes?
Minister for Bengaluru Development, K. J. George on Thursday announced the setting up of an expert committee headed by the additional chief secretary for urban development to examine action plans prepared by the public and private institutions like the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) to revive and rejuvenate both Bellandur and Varthur lakes.
Minister K.J. George, Rajya Sabha member Rajiv Chandrasekhar and Mayor Manjunath Reddy during a meeting in Vikas Soudha on Thursday (Photo: DC)
“Scores of government and non-governmental agencies have put their heads together to chalk out action plans to revive the two lakes. Several technologies too have been suggested to give these two lakes a fresh lease of life. All these suggestions will be reviewed by the expert committee before finalising a suitable and concrete plan,” he said. The suggestions proposed include breaching of the lakes, dry dredging, wet dredging, establishment of sewage treatment plants to stop the contamination at source and oxidation of their existing water.
“Considering all these various suggestions, the expert committee will come out with a collective action plan. The committee comprising of government and non-governmental agencies and experts like Dr Yellappa Reddy and many others, will work on all the solutions proposed and come out with a blueprint before the rainy season sets in,” the minister added.
Although the BWSSB had already made a blueprint for short term measures to revive the lakes, the committee would come out with long term solutions, he explained.
Asked if the government would take up the project to revive the lakes, the minister replied in the negative. “Ultimately we will have to hand over the work to an agency and since there are many agencies, we will follow the committee’s decision.” Mr George pointed out that a plan was already underway for reviving other lakes, using treated waters from areas surrounding Bengaluru like Anekal, Hoskote, Malur, to fill them up at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore.
Meanwhile, organisations like Namma Bengaluru Foundation, Cleantech, RE Infra Pvt Ltd from Mumbai, Whitefield Rising, ATREE, WIPRO, Fermenta Biotech Ltd, R.K. Misra group, IISc, Durdging Company Pvt Ltd, Ecogenetech, STUP Consultants, and Insatiable Group Company Canada presented their solutions for reviving the Bellandur and Varthur lakes to the minister.
Now that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has enhanced the buffer zone around lakes from 30 to 75 meters , a new Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) will be drawn up incorporating the new rule, according to minister K.J. George. “We will have an open discussion for a CDP and will incorporate experts’ opinions when drawing it up. The government is already taking action and eviction of encroachment is on from rajakaluves. There will be no stopping it. We don’t want anybody to encroach on government land. We will protect it,” he asserted.
Regulatory violations
- Bypassed BDA’s sensitive committee by purchasing land from KIADB
- Obtained NOC for 20,000 sq. ft from BWSSB and produced the same to a single window agency to get clearance for one million sq. ft.
- Did not get NOC from HAL airport, but from BIAAPA
- Encroached on about three acres of government land
- Changed the physical quality of the wetlands
