No Indira Canteen in playgrounds, parks and on drains, BBMP tells HC

No Indira Canteen will come up on playgrounds, parks or stormwater drains, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) told the High Court of Karnataka on Thursday.

The civic body’s submissions came on a petition that has urged the court to restrain the BBMP from building the subsidised eateries on drains, parks and playgrounds.

A division bench of Justice Jayant Patel and Justice S Sujatha asked the BBMP whether it is following the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) orders that prohibit all kinds of construction on buffer zones of lakes in the city. The civic body replied that it does have a provision to carry out construction on buffer zones “for public purpose” but only after getting the necessary permission from the competent authorities.

The court disposed of the petition following the BBMP’s submission.

Suspension stayed

The high court on Thursday granted stay on the suspension of Bengaluru South Tahsildar Shivakumar S M for not permitting BBMP to construct Indira Canteen at Hosakerehalli.

A division bench comprising Justice H G Ramesh and Justice K S Mudagal granted stay on the grounds that prima facie they do not find evidence against the tahsildar, who is alleged to have obstructed the construction of the canteen.

Shivakumar has moved the court challenging his suspension order contending that he was not responsible for rejecting the permission for construction of the canteen on a land belonging to the Revenue department.

He has contended that the  land on which the canteen is constructed is not identified as one of the sites for Indira Canteens.

He was suspended for the reason that he had obstructed the construction of the canteen during the progress review meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, of the canteens being set up across the city.