The Forest Department has directed Nelamangala Planning Authority and other authorities not to allow prohibited development activities in Arkavathy river catchment area in future as the deadline issued by the High Court to 107 industries and other establishments which have been found violating the norms in Arkavathy river catchment area will expire on July 31.
Forest, Ecology and Environment Department secretary M S Gouder said, “More than 80 establishments have already closed since the court directed them to shut down nearly a year ago and we are monitoring the remaining industries. They will have to shut down before the deadline expires at any cost.”
“We don’t want such polluting activities to happen in future. Therefore, we have instructed every department concerned not to permit prohibited activities in the catchment zones,” he said.
Around 30 residential layouts, 28 godowns, five educational institutions and a few small scale industries and some quarries had come up in the catchment area of the Arkavathy.
As Arkavathy, a tributary of river Cauvery, is one of the feeder to Thippagondanahalli (T G Halli) reservoir, the state government had prohibited different types of development activities in its catchment area.
The Forest Department had identified 107 such establishments and directed the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) to close down those establishments and not to allow construction activities in the housing layouts that were developed unauthorisedly. However, these owners of these establishments had challenged the closure notices issued by the KSPCB before the High Court.
Turning down their appeals, the court had directed them to close down by July 31. Gouder said the establishments which do not comply with the court’s order will have to face contempt of court proceedings soon after the deadline.