HC seeks status report on TG Halli reservoir

Wants to know actions taken to protect reservoir catchment area

The Karnataka High Court on Thursday directed the State government and the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) to submit separate status reports on the actions initiated for protecting and preserving the catchment area of the Thippagondahalli (TG Halli) reservoir and its preservation zones.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice P.S. Dinesh Kumar issued the direction while adjourning further hearing on a batch of petitions related to preservation zones notified in 2003 for protecting the reservoir’s catchment area by checking developmental activities in the zones.

The Environmental Management and Policy Research Institute (EMPRI), based on a direction by the court, had submitted a comprehensive assessment of TG Halli reservoir catchment area and its preservation zone. The State government had assured the court that it would take steps for protecting the catchment area based on the recommendations in EMPRI’s report.

After the court took cognisance of the issue related to TG Halli catchment area, several industrial units, which were allowed in the catchment area, were closed and criminal cases were booked against those operating in the preservation zones illegally.

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