Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Sep 4: Paschima Ghatta Samrakshana Horata Vedike has strongly condemned the action of chief minister, Siddaramaiah, in ordering disciplinary action action against Sakleshpur range forest officer, Sudarshan. Sudarshan had taken action action against officials and contractors who had cut down trees in Yettinahole project area illegally.

Sudarshan had filed first information report against employees of Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Ltd and contractors who had cut down trees without authorization in Yettinahole project area. Convener of the Vedike, K N Somashekhar, said that the chief minister was not in order in projecting his action as some crime, and ordering to initiate disciplinary action against him. 

"Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Ltd has undertaken a number of works in Yettinahole project area in violation of environment laws. Several people have filed petitions in National Green Tribunal about violation of these rules. The head of the state administration has been behaving as if he is not aware of law, by acting even before the Green Bench has delivered its verdict on these petitions," Somashekhar stated. 

Somashekhar said that the main bench of the tribunal had taken the concerned to task on August 29 for cutting down trees in large numbers in the project area. It has also ordered not to cut down any more trees heneforth. It has also asked the Nigam to keep count of trees felled so far and plant saplings ten times of that number, Somashekhar stated. He said that Yettinahole is a bogus project that is anti environment and vote bank project. He questioned how can water falling down be pumped to a height to reach Chikklaballapur and Kolar. He felt that over Rs 11,000 crores being invested in this project will go down the drain.

Advocate, Prince Issac, said that before a project is impleemented, a study report on environment and forest protection and also under wildlife act should be submitted to the concerned department and get their permission. This was not done in respect of this project, he pointed out. 

Convener, Yatiraju, and legal advisor, A C Bhavya, were present.