HC allows NICE plea for land

HC allows NICE plea for land
Vijay Times

Bangalore: The Karnataka High Court on Friday modified its earlier order and allowed an interlocutory application (IA) by Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) seeking a grant of 5 acres and 39 guntas of tank bed land in Hoskerehalli.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Cyriac Joesph and Justice B Padmaraj also directed the State Government to file within a month a report on the steps taken by it for implementing the N Lakshman Rau Committee report on tank beds.

NICE, in its IA, had said the Forest Department which o wned the tank bed had refused to part with the land. It said the High Court had in 1995 passed an interim order on a petition by Zafer Futehally , a P admashree awardee, restraining authorities from granting land on tank beds in Bangalore metropolitan area.

NICE said it wanted the land for Bangalore-Mysore Expressway . In its order , the Bench noted that the N Lakshman Rau report, which had examined the water bodies in and around Bangalore and suggested measures to revive, restore, protect and preserve the water bodies, had classified the H oskerehalli tank bed area as disused and recommended the creation of a park.

Appreciating the concern shown by the petitioner for the environment, the Bench said a balanced view has to be taken and that it could not close its eyes to the ground reality .