Bellandur lake: Government not adhering to NGT order alleges NGO

The National Green Tribunal on Thursday allowed an NGO to file a detailed application after it alleged that the Karnataka Government was not following the green panel's order on preventing pollution in Bellandur lake in Bengaluru.

When the lake pollution matter came up before the green bench headed by Justice Raghuvendra Singh Rathore, an advocate representing Namma Bengaluru Foundation, an NGO from the IT city, said the state government was not implementing its order as several establishments continued to discharge effluents into the water body. However, the Karnataka Government advocate said the Government was complying with all directions given by the bench.

The Bench directed the NGO to file a written application mentioning details and posted the matter for next hearing on July 13.

Meanwhile, automobile dealers located in vicinity of Bellanduru lake withdrew their application as they said a joint inspection team gave clearance to continue normal functioning. On the NGOs plea, the Bench however denied those dealers any liberty to file fresh application in the future if the joint inspection team found them to be discharing effluents into the lake.

Earlier, they had approached the tribunal saying that the joint inspection team constituted by the state government had ordered the closure of their showrooms alleging that they were discharging effluents to lake.

The green panel had earlier ordered the Karnataka Pollution Control Board to close down 76 polluting industries around the lake and directed them to set up an effluent treatment plant. Besides this, the bench also directed the state government to constitute a joint inspection team for spot verification of all establishment including industries, residential and commercial establishments whether they have set up treatment plants.

On February 20, the NGT had taken suo motu cognizance of media reports and photographs of the incident in which fire broke out in the Bengaluru lake and issued notices to the Union Environment Ministry and different agencies of the Karnataka government in the case asking them to submit report about the steps taken to prevent such things.