GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
Ministry of: Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation

RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO 1588
TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.08.2015

Bellandurlake in Bengaluru

1588. SHRI RAJEEV CHANDRASEKHAR

Will the Minister of WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT AND GANGA REJUVENATION be pleased to state:-

(a) what steps have been taken by the Ministry to protect Bengaluru from dangers or real estate projects on ecologically and environmentally sensitive areas like lakebeds, catchement areas around lakes and volley zones;
(b) whether the team from the Ministry which visited the site of projects coming up on Belandur lake in Bengaluru in August, 2013, to monitor compliance to the environmental clearance conditions, give an adverse report about the non-compliance of conditions by project promoters;
(c) if so, the details thereof and when; and
(d) if not, the reasons therefor?

ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT AND GANGA REJUVENATION
(PROF. SANWAR LAL JAT)

(a) “The Environment Impact Assessment (EAI) Notification, 2006 and subsequent amendments thereto, issued under the provisions of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 by the Ministry of Environment & Forest mandates prior Environment Clearance (EC) for different projects or activities as listed in the Schedule to the said Notification, from the concerned regulatory authority. These projects also include Building/Construction projects, Townships and Area Development projects.”
For conservation and management of polluted and degraded lakes in the country, the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoFE&CC) is implementing the Centrally Sponsored “National plan for Conservation of Aquatic Eco-systems.”
Contd…p/2
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(b) to (d) “A team comprising of members from MoFE&CC and the representatives from the Forest Department, State Government of Karnataka, visited the site on 16th July, 2013 to ascertain the status of EC to the projects in the area (under the ownership of Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board) and compliance of EC conditions. The team made the following observations:
* As contained under the provisions of the EIA Notification, 2006, EC was granted by SEIAA to M/s. Manipal ETA Pvt. Ltd. (now M/s. Mantri Tech Zone Pvt. Ltd.) on 17th February, 2012.
* The project work was in initial stages. The leveling and excavation works for the foundation were underway.
* Execution of the project will necessarily result in some alteration of natural sloping pattern of the project site and natural hydrology of the area and as such, one of the specific conditions of the EC in this regard cannot be complied.
* The project area is in the catchment area of Bellandurlake and the project authorities informed that they would take all precautionary measures to ensure that the lake would not be affected by the project activities either during construction or during operation phase as per specific conditions contained in the EC.
Recently, it has been informed that execution of the project has been stayed by National Green Tribunal at Chennai vide their order dated 16th April, 2014.”