Shocking Intimidation and Misbehaviour with NGT Team Member
City Kemp News
In a shocking episode which has further sullied the image of the real estate lobby in the city, a member of the High Level Committee constituted by the NGT looking into the environmental violations of Mantri Techzone P Ltd and Coremind Software and Services P Ltd was intimidated and abused at the project site during a NGT mandated visit.
Readers may recall that City Kemp had reported that the NGT had passed strictures against the functioning of the High Level Committee set up by it to look into the environmental violations alleged to have been committed by the 2 builders who are building their projects on a 100 acre tract of land situated opposite Agara lake and on the catchment area / wetlands of Bellandur lake.
When the Committee entered the site of M/s Mantri Techzone P Ltd on 11th September 2015, accompanied by Tribunal Expert Members, Dr DK Agrawal and Prof Yousuf, one of the Committee members was subjected to repeated intimidation and abusive language by employees of Mantri Techzone P Ltd present at the site.
In an official complaint made to Member Secretary, KSPCB, following the visit, the committee member writes alluding to Mantri Techzone P Ltd, who is Respondent 9 in the NGT case.
“During the field visit there were constant intimidation and also abusive language by some individuals (of Respondent 9, site visit). This is continued till we left the project proponent (Respondent 9) site despite my warning (to those misbehaving inividuals) and also informing proponents.”
Even more shocking episodes were to follow. The High Level Committee members in the official complaint made to the Member Secretary, KSPCB, goes on to say:
“I was carrying GPS (to record elevation details required to answer some queries of NGT), which was snatched by Chidambaram (wearing security uniform, working with proponents). This unit was returned only when I brought to the notice of Bhuvanendra (legal adviser, Respondent 9) in the evening. GPS had data (which we use regularly for our ecological research) and the GPS unit has been tampered evident from the deletion of data.”
The NGT Committee member also requests the KSPCB to provide security in future for teams visiting such sites to “put an end to such episodes” as he puts it
The response of the KSPCB to this shocking incident is even more surprising. For the past few days, they have refused to register a Police Complaint on this issue in spite of such a serious issue being brought to their notice.
The deliberate inaction by KSPCB has fueled suspicions among residents of Koramangala, HSR and Bellandur who are fighting this issue in the NGT.
“There appears to be a conscious attempt by the KSPCB to sweep this issue under the carpet. KSPCB needs to answer questions as to whether shielding a builder is more important than enforcing the rule of law and providing protection to a team mandated by the NGT”, said a Koramangala resident.
City Kemp is also in the possession of a letter written by South East Bangalore Forum for Sustainable Development to the Union Minister for Environment and Forests, Sri Prakash Javdekar, drawing his attention to this incident and calling for the Ministry to take stringent action against the project proponent in question.
