We'll save Lalbagh: Advocate general

We'll save Lalbagh: Advocate general

Uday Holla argued that without Lalbagh and Basavanagudi stations, Metro's RV Road stretch is meaningless

Srikanth Hunasavadi. Bangalore



The state government on Wednesday assured the High Court that it would preserve the Lalbagh botanical garden.
On behalf of the state, advocate general Uday Holla submitted that only 12 guntas of land within Lalbagh were being used for the metro project; this comprised only 0.12% of the historical garden.
Holla argued that city roads being as clogged as they are, the time was right for a cheap mode of mass transport, and the metro would be the ideal solution.
The advocate general was making these submissions before the division bench headed by Justice V Gopalagowda, which was hearing a petition filed by the Environmental Support Group and Hasiru Usiru, questioning the legal basis of felling trees in Lalbagh.
The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) planned to set up a station at Lalbagh and Basavanagudi for the RV Road stretch. Without these stations, this stretch would be rendered useless, Holla submitted.
The petitioners' counsel submitted that the government had taken the decision to hand over a portion of land in Lalbagh hurriedly, without following the required procedure. The court adjourned the matter till Friday; an interim order that permitted the cutting of trees after seeking the necessary permission will be in force until then.
In another case relating to the acquisition of land for the Metro, a single-judge bench comprising Justice Mohan Shantan Goudar, after hearing the arguments of both sides, reserved the judgement.
The petitioner, Zakir Unnisa and others from Khazi Street in Basavanagudi, challenged the April 2008 land acquisition order.
The court has stayed the notification involving 40-odd properties