Bannerghatta under attack again, politician rips up eco-zone

Bengaluru: Without obtaining necessary clearance from the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), a 12-feet road is being widened to 25 feet road near the Bannerghatta National Park (BNP) at Ragihalli by the local pachayat. Along the road a residential layout has come up and sources say it is owned by a heavyweight politician.

The illegal infrastructure works are being undertaken near the eco-sensitive zone of the BNP. However, senior officials of the BNP maintain that till the ESZ is decided by the government they are helpless.

A huge dargah is also being built alongside the layout, which is said to be in clear violation of ESZ norm.

DFO Prashanth said, “The roads if widened will definitely impact the wildlife, because heavy vehicles will move along the road. I have not received any complaints about the dargah. However, we have been told about a resort being built, against which we have written to the Environment Officer (EO) and they may take action.”

The roads around the park have been damaged due to regular movement of heavy vehicles involved in quarrying and mining activities in the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) of the Bannerghatta National Park (BNP). Though the repair work can be taken up, the widening requires permission from the NBWL.

In a further blow to the ESZ, the BBMP has proposed to dump the city’s garbage in an illegal quarry site at Anekal. The illegal quarry was shut down last year by the Mines and Geology department.

Since the site fall within the 1 km area of the BNP, the residents and activists had alerted the departments concerned about the ramifications it will have on the wildlife and surrounding zone.

The site where the Palike proposes to dump waste is close to the Ramakrishna Ashram.