NGT asks BBMP, BDA to approach monitoring committee over restoration of Bellandur, Agara lakes

NGT was hearing a number of petitions on restoration on Bengaluru's lakes when it directed BBMP and BDA to approach the panel

National Green Tribunal has asked Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to approach the Monitoring Committee headed by retired Supreme Court Judge Justice Santosh Hegde on issues related to restoration of Bellandur, Agara and Varthur lakes in Bengaluru.

The NGT Principal Bench headed by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said, "The issues raised in both the applications (BDA and BBMP) can be first looked into by the Monitoring Committee in the course of considering remedial measures for restoration of the lake. The Committee has necessary experts to assist. The Tribunal has already laid down broad parameters for carrying out the restoration work, consistent with the environmental concerns."

The Green Bench was hearing a number of petitions on the restoration of Bellandur, Agara and Varthur lakes in Bengaluru, including preventing discharge and dumping of pollutants, removing encroachments from the catchment area and other steps for restoration.

The bench considered Amicus Curiae Raj Panjwani's earlier submission that the BDA should set up parks along periphery of the lake boundary.

"The BDA has wrongly understood that biodiversity parks are to be set up within the lake boundary. Such parks are to be set up along the periphery of the lake boundary," Panjwani informed the Bench.

He also said that an enquiry should be conducted about the illegality in laying the pipeline by the Minor Irrigation Department. Construction of retaining wall should not result in the reduction of width of the water bodies. The BBMP should survey and notify the rajakaluves for purposes of buffer zones of 50, 25 and 15 meters, Panjwani informed the Bench.

The BBMP in its reply said that the retaining walls will not reduce the size of the drains and are necessary to prevent illegal constructions.

The BBMP sought NGT's permission to build a stormwater drain while BDA sought permission to establish bio-diversity parks at the proposed locations in Bellandur And Varthur lakes.

To this, the Bench said that the Monitoring Committee headed by Santosh Hegde look into these issues.