The entrance of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) office.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Bengaluru: After a five-year legal battle, an applicant accusing a builder of violating environmental laws has successfully persuaded the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to reopen his case.
The applicant, B Raghupathy, had initially approached the NGT, accusing builder K S Satish of breaching the buffer zone regulations established by the tribunal.
The NGT has now reinstated a four-year-old case where Raghupathy alleges that the New Ark Project, which involves the construction of both an apartment and a commercial complex in Kasavanahalli, has violated environmental guidelines.
Raghupathy claims the builder initially sought land conversion from agricultural to 'hi-tech' use. However, before the deputy commissioner could issue an order, the builder requested the Bangalore Development Authority to convert the land from 'hi-tech' to 'commercial.' He further alleged that a secondary nala adjacent to the project site, which acts as a feeder canal to the Kaikondrahalli and Kasavanahalli lakes, is at risk due to the construction.
The application stated that while the maximum permissible construction area was 8,816.04 square meters, the BBMP's site plan oddly allowed a residential floor area ratio of 8,645.23 square meters.
Although the NGT had previously disposed of the application, directing Raghupathy to appeal to the relevant authority, he challenged this decision in the Supreme Court.
An expert committee, meanwhile, uncovered several violations by the builder. As a result, the Supreme Court remanded the case to the NGT's principal bench, which has now issued notices to all parties involved.