Didn't give Hesaraghatta grassland for theme park, govt tells HC

The State government on Monday told the High Court of Karnataka that it hadn’t granted 347 acres of Hesaraghatta grasslands in Bengaluru Rural district for the Chitraranga Theme Park (CTP).

Additional Advocate General A S Ponnanna told a division bench of Chief Justice D H Waghela and Justice Ram Mohan Reddy that the government had not yet taken any decision to allot the land for the theme park.

The submission prompted the court to dispose of a petition by Arkavathi Kumudvathi Nadigala Punaschethana Samithi that demanded “protected status” to the Hesaraghatta grasslands spread over Kodihalli and Madurai hoblies in Doddaballapur taluk.

The petitioner argued that the government’s proposal to give the 347 acres of grasslands for the CTP was “unwarranted, unscientific, illogical and against the interest of invaluable natural ecosystem”.

“Conversion of this land for any other purpose will be detrimental to the ecosystem,” Abdulla, counsel for the petitioner, submitted.

Ponnanna told the court that the government, following a Cabinet decision, had formed a committee of three ministers—Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment B Ramanath Rai, Minister for Animal Husbandry T B Jayachandra and Minister for Information R Roshan Baig—who will visit the grasslands and submit a report, as per which a decision on whether or not to allocate the land for CTP would be taken.

The bench then disposed of the petition but gave the petitioner the liberty to approach the court. “The petitioners or any other public-spirited persons can approach the court in case, based on the report submitted to the government,” the bench observed.
Noise pollution by temples

The High Court on Monday directed the State government to stipulate what action it has taken to check noise pollution caused by religious institutions in Karnataka.

Some residents of Mysuru have moved the High Court alleging that a temple in that city was disturbing their peace of mind by conducting puja and other ceremonies early in the morning during Dhanurmasa of the Hindu calendar.

A division bench of Chief Justice D H Waghela and Justice Ram Mohan Reddy directed the government to stipulate what steps it has taken to reduce noise pollution caused by religious institutions.