Karnataka: Greens cry halt to projects at Chamundi Hills, to move Supreme Court

Mysuru: Concerned by the  Public Works Department (PWD) renewing its construction of a commercial complex and a multi-level parking lot atop the Chamundi hills, greens and  the Mysuru Grahakara Parishant (MGP) have decided to take their fight to  put a stop to the work to the Supreme Court.

The state government came up with the plan last year to build a multi-level parking lot for 600 cars, a commercial complex with 118 shops and  a toilet block at a cost of Rs 79.94 crore using Chamundeswari temple funds, on 8.04 acres in the hills. The PWD was also allowed to take over 0.9 hectares of forest land  to widen the 1.4 kms of road in the hills  and upgrade it to a four lane from Nandi Hill circle to the Mahishasura statue. But environmentalists and the MGP objected, saying this would harm the ecology and natural beauty of the hills. In response, the then DC C. Shikha asked the PWD to come up with an Environment Management Plan and the work was halted for a while. But the PWD has now begun construction again, claiming  it has received all the necessary environmental clearances. But Mr Bhamy V Shenoy and Ms Ashwini Ranjan of MGP point out that a full blown Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)  has still not been done. “Under the latest Environmental Protection Act no construction can be done without an EIA. Even the EMP was  approved without taking the public into confidence,” they protested in a statement. With its PIL in the High Court failing to put a stop to the work,  the MGP has now decided to file a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court to take its battle forward.