SC declines to stay martyrs memorial
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to stay the construction of a martyrs memorial inside Indira Gandhi Memorial Park in Bangalore, amid objections by an association of residents saying that it would reduce the green cover of the city.
A bench of Justice R M Lodha and A K Patnaik sought response from the Karnataka government in four weeks on a petition filed by Bangalore-based Krishna Apartment Owners' Welfare Association challenging the Karnataka High Court order that allowed the construction of a martyrs' memorial.
Advocates Nageswar Rao and Anitha Shenoy, appearing for the Karnataka government, submitted that there was no alienation or transfer of land in this case. The state government and the Indian Army have planned to construct the martyr's memorial and a 10,000 sq ft underground auditorium in a six-acre land which had been earmarked for the purpose, said Shenoy.
Indira Gandhi Memorial Park has 17 acres and the greenery will be restored after the construction of the martyr's memorial. Most of the memorial will be underground and only three eucalyptus trees have been cut for the structure, said Shenoy.
A trust, under the chairmanship of the chief minister and with members from the Army and Home department, will look after the maintenance of the memorial, said Rao.
The association advocate argued that the work would go against the provisions of the Karnataka Park (Preservation) Act, 1975, which “forbids transfer of land from any existing park.” A division bench of the Karnataka HC on June 4 dismissed a PIL that challenged the construction of the memorial.
