HC to monitor rejuvenation of polluted Vrushabhavathi

The High Court of Karnataka will monitor the rejuvenation and restoration of the Vrushabhavathi River, which has been contracted to the National Environment and Engineering Research Institute (NEERI).

Hearing a PIL petition by Bengaluru-based advocate Geeta Misra, a division bench headed by Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka directed the state government to place on record the details of the agreement with NEERI and the payments made to it. The court directed the petitioner to implead NEERI in the petition.

Vrushabhavathi is a tributary of Arkavathi River and has become highly polluted due to industrial and domestic effluents. NEERI is a constituent laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Government of India.

The government informed the court that an exemption was given under the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement Act (KTPP) to enable NEERI take up the work and that government agencies such as the BBMP, the BWSSB, and the KSPCB have to pay the necessary fees to the institute. Meanwhile, the KSPCB informed the court that several orders for closure have been passed against the industries.

The court directed the agencies involved as well as the government to file compliance affidavits along with agreements and details of payment to NEERI within two weeks. The court also directed the KSPCB to file a statement of objections placing on record the action taken against industries responsible for polluting the river. The court requested the representative of NEERI to remain present at the next hearing via video conference.