Tuesday, January 05, 2010

• Media castigated for reporting case before hearing commenced

Bangalore: The Karnataka High Court on Monday asked the University of Agriculture Sciences (UAS) to file an affidavit on how a road cutting across its GKVK campus in Bangalore would harm the biodiversity of the area, how it would affect the university’s functioning and how far the proposed road was from its research station.

It also came down heavily on a section of the media for reporting on the case even before the hearing commenced. A Division Bench comprising Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice A.N. Venugopala Gowda passed the order on a public interest litigation (PIL) petition by several former UAS Vice-Chancellors challenging the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike’s road proposal.

The former Vice-Chancellors R. Dwarkinath, G.K. Veeresh, K.V. Devaraj, A.M. Krishnappa, M.N. Shelavantar, N.G. Perur and B. Bisalaiah and others had petitioned the court.

On its part, the BBMP said the UAS had earlier agreed to the link road joining Yeshwanthpur-Yelehanka and Bellary Road and produced records to back this claim.

Opposing the road, the petitioners said it would lead to ecological disaster apart from hindering research work. The UAS, they said, spreads over 1,381 acres, most of it forest land.

They said 4.4 km of the 6-km link would come within the UAS campus. The BBMP had already cut trees without the permission of the Tree Officer and had begun work on the road when the model code of conduct was still in force for the byelections to some Assembly constituencies some time ago. They sought stoppage of its construction. The Bench asked the UAS to file an affidavit and adjourned further hearing of the case.