The New Indian Express 29.10.2010
Government to submit report on lake development
The court was hearing a public interest litigation filed by the Environment Support Group (ESG) challenging the state government's decision to lease out lakes.
The division bench, comprising Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice A S Bopanna, asked the advocate general to submit an action taken report within two weeks.
The petitioner has submitted that the lakes have been given on lease to private parties violating a previous court order.
The petitioner's advocate submitted that fish have died in Avalahalli lake because of some road work undertaken near it.
Advocate General Ashok Harnahalli submitted that on September 17, 2009, the court directed all lakes in the city to be maintained in their original position and not alienate the nature of the lakes and also directed to submit an action taken report.
The BDA and Lake Development Authority has to submit compliance and action taken report to the High Court. The court adjourned adjourning the hearing to November 26, the court directed to file an ATR to the court.
BDA to follow law on unauthorised layout
The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has submitted in the High Court that it will take action against the unauthorised layout of Housing Minister Katta Subramanya Naidu in accordance with law.
Hearing the petition filed by the minister, his wife K Sowbhagya, former MLA of Turuvekere MD Lakshminarayana and brother of Lakshminaraya MD Murthy, Justice Rammohan Reddy asked them to submit a list of sale holders of the sites in Byatarayanapura.
Earlier, the petitioner had given an undertaking that they will maintain status quo on the property in question at Byatarayanapura on Mysore Road, which has been declared unauthorised by the BDA.
The court adjourned the hearing to November 2 to enable the petitioner's counsel to submit the list of sale holders of the site.
The BDA had directed the petitioner to remove the unauthorised constructions on plots, survey number 7/2 and 7/3, of Byatarayanapura.
Katta and his family members had purchased the property from M/S Mysore Machine Manufacturer Ltd in 2005 and Khata was made in favour of the petitioners by the BBMP.
The BDA issued show cause notice to the petitioners on May 2, 2009, asking why action should not be taken under section 17 (4) of the Karnataka Town and Country Planning (KTCP) Act, 1961, and also discontinue the development works undertaken in the property.
In January 29, 2010, the BDA issued demolition order of the unauthorised layout because the petitioner did not take permission under the KTCP Act.
The petitioners challenged the demolition notice issued by the Commissioner of BDA.
They submitted that the BDA commissioner was not the planning authority and that the government has decided to regularise the layout under Akrama Sakrama scheme and when the regularisation was pending consideration, no demolition can be carried out.
