Express News Service By

BENGALURU: The National Green Tribunal has ordered two Bengaluru-based realty firms to pay stiff penalties for their illegal constructions on the Bellandur and Agara lakes.

A bench of the National Green Tribunal, headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar, has slapped penalties of `117 crore on Mantri Tech Zone and `13.5 crore on Coremind Software and Services (Salarpuria Company) for building in and around the lakes in Bengaluru. The tribunal also quashed all clearances obtained for their constructions, and directed the Karnataka government to submit a proposal to demarcate its wetlands within four weeks. The Ministry of Environment and Forests will then notify them.

The tribunal also directed Mantri Techzone to restore immediately three acres and 10 guntas of a lakebed it has encoached. The bench also stayed all further construction.

New Buffer Zones

The tribunal laid down buffer zones for all lakeside projects, and ordered the demolition of buildings falling within such buffer zones. These decisions have widespread implications.

“For all developments around lakes in Bengaluru (and anywhere in the country), the buffer zone is 75 metres,” the tribunal ruled. A buffer of just 30 metres was adopted for the Bellandur and Agara lakes.

The tribunal also laid down the extent of buffer zones for the rajakaluves (stormwater drains) in Bengaluru. It is 50 metres for primary, 35 for secondary and 15 for tertiary rajakaluves. The tribunal directed the State Environmental Impact Assessment Agency to amend the environmental clearances for both projects.The agency will monitor all further construction relating to these projects.

A Mantri Developers spokesperson said the group was yet to receive a copy of the order. “We will comment after getting it,’’ he said.

Victory for Citizens

The judgment comes as a big victory for Bengaluru citizens, resident welfare associations and NGOs, who had approached the tribunal to save the city’s water bodies.

Breathing Space for Rajakaluves

The National Green Tribunal has extended the buffer zones for lakes and rajakaluves in Bengaluru.

Around lakes, the buffer is now 75 metres, where no construction is allowed. For primary rajakaluves, it is 50 metres. Earlier, the distance was calculated from the centre of the rajakaluve, but it will now be calculated from the edge.

What the Verdict Says