Night Safari: HC orders notice to State, Union govt

Petitioner B R Deepak, a City-based advocate and party in person, had moved the HC seeking directions to the State to withdraw the decision passed in the Cabinet in connection with the night safari.

Petitioner submitted that the decision is a violation of Article 35 (6) of the Wildlife Protection Act. “Under this, no person shall destroy, exploit or remove any wildlife from a national park or destroy or damage or divert the habitat of any wild animal,” he said.

He said that Bannerghatta National Park is spread across 25,000 hectares (104 sq km), and is home to 215 species of birds, 150 species of butterflies and 20 species of snakes and over 250 species of trees.

 Pointing out that the decision of night safari will disturb the animals and is violative of 48 (A) and 51 (A) (g) of the Constitution of India, he said, “As protection of wildlife and forests is a fundamental right.”

The division bench headed by Justice V Gopala Gowda has ordered notice to Central Zoo Authority, Ministry of Environment and Forests, State Government, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife warden and others.

Signal-free project

The HC has permitted the BBMP to go ahead with the signal-free corridor project along Okalipuram junction to Yeshwantpur.

Hearing a plea by Samarpana, a City-based NGO, which opposed the corridor project, the division bench has disposed off the petition following the BBMP’s affidavit to take up construction of underpass one after the other without affecting the traffic.

BBMP in its affidavit had submitted that the works of six underpasses have been taken up all along the Dr Rajkumar Road at Vivekananda College, 10th Cross junction, Navarang junction, Bridge Stone junction, 3rd Block junction and Okalipuram junction. The BBMP had informed the court about the construction of underpasses by installing precast RCC box segment.

BBMP also submitted that the construction of approach ramp will be completed within 120 days once the work begins and assured that the alternative roads for smaller vehicles will be created for a temporary period.

The petitioner had sought directions challenging the construction of underpass when the metro rail work was in progress. The division bench headed by Justice V Gopala Gowda disposed the plean allowing the BBMP to go ahead with the project.

However, the plea by petitioner to refer the matter to High Court Legal Aid Committee (HCLAC) was rejected by the bench.

Hearing adjourned

The High Court has adjourned hearing related to the construction of a road by the BBMP through the University of Agriculture Sciences (UAS) campus, with a direction to place before it the details of research being undertaken by the varsity and the National Centre for Biological Sciences.

The Court was hearing a PIL by Dr R Dwarkinath, Dr G K Veeresh, Dr K V Devraj and others, former vice chancellors of UAS, Bangalore, who had challenged the BBMP project linking Yeshwantpur- Yelahanka to provide connectivity to BIA. The division bench headed by Justice Manjula Chellur has sought the details about the research works which will be affected due to the road construction.