Daijiworld Media Network - Beltangady
Beltangady, Sep 26: Despite the stay order from the Green Tribunal, Chennai, the work on the controversial Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water has continued.
The Green Tribunal on September 16 had issued a stay order on the project, stating that no work related to the project should be carried out till September 28. The petitioners had pointed out that more than 600 acres of forest would be destroyed for the project, and that the central environment ministry's approval has not been sought for the same.
The Tribunal ordered the stay on the grounds that the project has been started without following guidelines. On September 28, the final verdict will be given.
The counsel for the government had submitted a written assurance to the Tribunal that no work would be carried out on Yettinahole project as ordered. However, when a group of activists visited the project site on Friday September 25, they found that work has continued.
With scant regard to the Tribunal's order, the Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Ltd (KNNL) has continued work on the weir at Yettinahalla, while work on two more weirs has been halted. The activists said that this was a clear violation of the Tribunal's order.
Yathiraj and Somashekar, who filed the writ petition in the Tribunal against the Yettinahole project, have been apprised of the violation, and they have said that they would inform the Tribunal about it.
Altogether, eight weirs will be built and water will be collected and transmitted to Kolar and other districts through huge pipelines extending up to 274 km. Prof S G Mayya of NIT-K Suratkal, who is strongly opposed to the project, has said that as per the DPR, the project has been envisaged not only to provide drinking water, but also to fulfil the industrial needs of Bengaluru. A bandh has been called in Beltangady taluk on October 7 to oppose the project.