NGT stays peripheral ring road project

The National Green Tribunal has restrained the Karnataka government from going ahead with a 65-km peripheral ring road in Bengaluru, connecting Tumakuru Road to Hosur Road crossing Ballari Road and Old Madras Road.

The green tribunal noted that there was a five-year delay for the environmental clearance to the Bengaluru Development Authority.

"Besides, there was an error in noting the number of trees to be cut and the impact of potential leakage of the petroleum pipeline was not considered," it noted.

A bench presided over by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, directed, "The project proponent will not proceed on the basis of the environmental clearance granted on November 20, 2014."

The order passed last month gave jitters to the state government which wanted to take up the eight-lane project estimated to cost Rs 17,313 crore to decongest the city. The project is to intersect four national highways and five state highways.

The issue of environmental clearance was considered by the tribunal on April 15, 2015, and was stayed, the bench said, noting that the stay remained in operation for the last four years.

Sudhakar Hegde and others filed a plea before the tribunal against the Karnataka State's Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Authority and others.