The city-based NGO Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP) will approach the Supreme Court in its last bid effort to stall the ongoing ‘development works’ atop Chamundi Hills.
The government had steamrolled all opposition to the construction works sanctioned atop Chamundi Hills and has gone ahead with the construction of a multi-level parking facility, shopping complex and shelter for pilgrims. All these works are progressing at a brisk pace.
This follows a slew of protests that were unsuccessful in stopping the works while the Public-Interest Litigation (PIL) before the High Court of Karnataka was dismissed on April 3, 2017, but granted the MGP the liberty to approach the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in two weeks to make a representation.
MGP members Bhamy V. Shenoy and Ashvini Ranjan said here on Monday that they have decided to file a Special Leave Petition against this ruling in the Supreme Court and continue their efforts to save the hills from wanton ‘development’. In a release, they said that as Chamundeswari Temple generates a huge amount of funds and has accumulated over ₹80 crore , politicians have always been ready to propose projects to spend on in the name of development and to provide facilities to the increasing number of pilgrims.
“Projects such as widening of roads to facilitate faster movement of cars, constructing multi-level parking spaces, shopping complexes, shelters for waiting, were proposed from time to time. Though the politicians were fully aware that all such projects would harm the delicate ecology and affect the beauty of the hill, their greed for money was uncontrollable,” the MGP said.
While the gazette notification of April 28, 2016, paved the way for the widening of the road on the hill, the Chief Minister laid the foundation stone for a slew of construction projects in the name of development which are inimical to the fragile environment of the hills, argued the MGP.
Though the authorities agreed for an Environmental Management Plan, the MGP has demanded a full-scale Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) be conducted. Instead, the authorities have prepared a cursory EMP without taking the public into confidence nor sharing the details with them, said the MGP.
