JOIN USThe Bangalore-headquartered Toyota Kirloskar Motor Private Limited has stated that it does not let out water from its plant premises on the Bangalore City outskirts and wondered how the company was being made a party to “the pollution of the Byramangala Lake and the rivers flowing into it.”
The company was responding to a news report in Deccan Herald’s January 6, 2013, edition, captioned “Industry, KSPCB pulled up over pollution of rivers.” The report in question was based on the proceedings of a Lok Adalat sitting on January 22, 2013.
“TKM (Toyota Kirloskar Motors) has an effluent treatment plant that was set up in the year of establishment of the manufacturing facility at Bidadi, in 1997. All the water waste resulting from our plant manufacturing processes, is recycled and used for various activities in-house and includes water for gardening,” a statement issued by TKM vice chairman Shekar Vishwanathan said.
Vishwanathan said the company did not get a chance to put forth its view as it was not a “party to the court proceedings.” The Lok Adalat sitting bench, which took up the matter, comprised Justice D V Shylendra Kumar of the Karnataka High Court, and Lok Adalat member A N Yellappa Reddy. He said the company was not able to get a copy of the Lok Adalat proceedings or even confirm the existence of a report by RV Engineering College students on the pollution issue as this newspaper reported.
“We are unable to trace a copy of the court (Lok Adalat) proceedings as reported in your columns. Nor are we in a possession of any project report submitted by the students of the RV Engineering College. In fact, on inquiry, the RV Engineering College authorities also do not appear to have any knowledge of any such report,” Vishwanathan said. If these details were made available to the company, it would help “us place the facts before the Honourable Court and to apply for suitable redressal of our fair name,” he further stated.