The National Green Tribunal, Delhi, will hear the arguments in the case against the Yettinahole project, filed by the Netravathi Samrakshana Samyukta Samiti, on December 2, said samiti president K. Vijaya Kumar Shetty on Thursday.
Addressing reporters here, Mr. Shetty, who is a former MLA, said that at the last hearing on November 11, advocate M.C. Mehta, appearing for the samiti, had argued that under the pretext of providing drinking water, all projects related to Yettinahole in the Western Ghats intended to divert Netravati river water to the east, thus damaging the river basin. Because of this, the Western Ghats and its environment would suffer irreparable damage and, in the long run, the river might dry up, he said.
“The chairman of the NGT showed interest in studying the matter in detail and asked the advocates to present a detailed argument and submit other information on December 2,” he said.
NGT chairman, Justice Swatanter Kumar, had also asked the representative of the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) what action has been taken in Karnataka on the direction given by the NGT on February 15 on deemed forests and protection of eco-sensitive areas in the Western Ghats, Mr. Shetty said.
