BENGALURU: Not only is the Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) project controversial, even the first hearing on its environmental aspects ended in controversy.The lack of coordination between Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), which organised the meet, and Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) that will build the road, left participants confused. The event finally took place as scheduled with limited participation as not more than 50 people were permitted inside Navjyoti Hall on Doddaballapur Road due to the need to maintain social distancing.
The 65.5-km eight-lane project, mooted by former Chief Minister S M Krishna during his tenure to decongest the city, is likely to result in 33,838 trees being axed. This has been strongly opposed by environment activists and NGOs. On August 14, BDA announced that the first public hearing would be held at 11 am on August 18. It also sent an official release on Monday, stating that a virtual hearing would also take place on September 3.
However, State Forest and Ecology Minister Anand Singh unilaterally took a decision around 8pm Monday that the meeting needs to be postponed. A communication sent by KSPCB later to BDA officials and Deputy Commissioner (Bengaluru Urban) went unnoticed.
Singh told TNIE, “The public kept stressing that it would not be safe to hold such a meeting in the midst of the pandemic. So I decided to call it off last night and instructed my department to do so. KSPCB did it but there has been a communication gap.”
A senior government official said, “The minister does not have powers to cancel a public hearing. It is the DC’s right to call or cancel it. His order to cancel it holds no validity.” The DC refused to answer calls, despite many attempts.