Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP and lawyer Tejaswi Surya appeared in the Karnataka High Court on Saturday (25 October). He challenged the proposed tunnel road project on Bengaluru’s historic Lalbagh Rock in a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by actor Prakash Belawadi. The petition alleged that the project planning ignores environmental and safety standards and endangers public interest.
The main question raised in the petition was that Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was not done for the project and no consultation was taken from Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA). Also, concerns have been raised regarding the plan of the tunnel under the Detailed Project Report (DPR), because it passes under the historical Lalbagh Rock.
Tejasvi Surya said this big thing
Tejasvi Surya said that due to this project, about 6.5 acres of land will be acquired in Lalbagh Botanical Guard, which could pose a serious threat to the 3,000 million year old Lalbagh Rock, which is a National Geological Monument. He said public access has already been limited.
Surya said that no EIA was done for the project, which is required by law. Citing the Uttarakhand tunnel accident, he warned that a thorough safety check is necessary before any excavation.
Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Judge CM Poonacha present in the court said that a detailed investigation will be done into the case. He directed the Additional Government Advocate (AGA) present on behalf of the state to give information about the project related to tree cutting. The court also sought opinion on EIA from the Geological Survey of India.
Separate hearing will be held on October 28
Tejashwi Surya first called this project a broad daylight robbery and alleged that it is being run in the interest of real estate, because commercial complex is also mentioned in the DPR. The next hearing of this case will be on Tuesday, October 28.
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