JOIN USThe KSPCB had earlier chosen Bellary for the award for the simple reason that about 27 lakh saplings had been planted in the district during monsoon last year.
Given the reputation of the mining-ravaged Bellary district where greenery is sparse, Deccan Herald had a couple of days ago highlighted the irony of the government choosing it for the green award.
On Wednesday, Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda gave away several awards, but Bellary found no place in the list. Instead, the Chintamani municipality made a dramatic entry and walked away with the award, which was received by Deputy Commissioner of Chikkaballapur, N Manjula.
Chintamani taluk presents a rare example of following the best practices in environment conservation with its replicable model of solid waste management and ‘no-plastic bag’ initiative.
If sources in the government are to be believed, the KSPCB chairman was pulled up by the higher-ups for the decision to choose Bellary for the ‘Green Award’.
When contacted, KSPCB chairman A S Sadashivaiah said: “No doubt, good work has been done in Bellary. But as you know, the district is embroiled in controversies. So, we decided to drop it for now. Also, we did not want public sentiments to be hurt. We may give this (green) award to Bellary on some other occasion.”