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Mangaluru: Supreme Court of India upheld the building license to luxurious residential project of Land Trades Builders and Developers 'Solitaire' issued by Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC).

Aggrieved by the city corporation’s proposal for widening of one of the approach roads to Solitaire, some residents of the locality had approached the High Court with a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the Building License given by MCC for Solitaire. After listening to the arguments of all parties, the High Court had upheld the Building License given to Solitaire as legitimate and concurred with MCC’s decision to give the license.

After that, the petitioners had appealed the High Court order before the Supreme Court. Now in its order dated 19­07­2019, Hon’ble Supreme Court too dismissed the PIL and upheld the legality of Building License given by MCC for Solitaire. 

Supreme Court has also directed the MCC to issue Completion Certificate for ‘Solitaire’ expeditiously in accordance with law. 

In the same order, the court has also vacated its status quo on road widening by MCC of the approach road to Solitaire.

Accepting the advice of the Hon’ble Judges to address the grievances of the petitioners, the City Corporation has undertaken before the Hon’ble Court vide written affidavit to construct a retention wall for protecting the structures of the concerned petitioners at the time of road widening in the future. 

"With this, all the legal hurdles with regard to road widening have been overcome. Litigation regarding this project was pending before the courts for a long time. Now we are glad that our building license for Solitaire has been legally validated by the highest court” said Mr. K. Shrinath Hebbar, proprietor of Land Trades. 

“I am grateful to our customers and associates who have reposed their complete faith in me during this period" he added.

Solitaire is situated at the elite Hat Hill locality of Mangalore, lending a commanding view of the Arabian Sea. With 32 floors it is one of the tallest residential structures of Mangalore.

Solitaire is a green-friendly project with features like solar energy, rain water harvesting, waste segregation facility and in-house sewage treatment and recycle plant.

"We further assure the public and our customers that right from the inception Land Trades have been diligently obeying all laws and statutory regulations. All our buildings including Solitaire are constructed in full compliance of the rules and regulations in force" a press release from the company added.

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Noida: India TV editor-in-chief Rajat Sharma has drawn sharp criticism on social media following remarks he made on air attributing Delhi’s air pollution partly to its geographical location and the Aravalli hill range.

Speaking during a recent episode of his prime-time show Aaj Ki Baat, Sharma said Delhi’s geography plays a major role in trapping polluted air.

“Geographical location is the main reason. Delhi is a big city and its shape is like a bowl, surrounded by the Aravalli hills on three sides. As a result, polluted air gets trapped and cannot disperse easily. Therefore, the problem of pollution in Delhi cannot be solved in one year or in any particular season,” he said.

His comments came amid a severe deterioration in air quality in the national capital. On Sunday morning, December 21, Delhi woke up to a thick blanket of toxic smog, sharply reducing visibility and causing widespread discomfort. The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 390 around 7 a.m., placing it in the ‘very poor’ category, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Dense fog and smog also disrupted flight operations at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA). As many as 110 flights were cancelled, while over 370 flights were delayed due to poor visibility. Of the cancelled services, 59 were arriving flights and 51 were departures. Flight-tracking website Flightradar24 showed that departing flights faced an average delay of around 26 minutes.

Netizens troll Sharma

One user wrote on X, “Rajat Sharma is saying due to the Aravalli hills, there is air pollution in Delhi. He is defending mining and destroying the Aravalli hills like this. How can these people call themselves journalists?”

Another user accused him of political hypocrisy, comparing his earlier criticism of the Delhi government with his current remarks, and wrote, “In 2023 he blamed Arvind Kejriwal for Delhi air pollution. In 2025, he is blaming the Aravalli hills because BJP is in power. Hypocrisy = 100%, Journalism = 00%.”

Others termed the comments an example of the “godi media” narrative, alleging that geography was being blamed instead of governance, industrial emissions, vehicular pollution, construction dust, and stubble burning. “When they fail to question power or policy, they conveniently shift the blame to nature,” another post read.

“Friends, what can one even say about today’s godi media? According to them, the reason for Delhi’s pollution is that the Aravalli hills surround the city from three sides, trapping polluted air inside. Seriously? So now Sudhir Chaudhary and Rajat Sharma want us to believe that nature itself is to blame? When they fail to question power or policy, they conveniently shift the blame to geography. Apparently, it’s not years of environmental destruction or administrative failure—it’s the Aravalli hills! Does this explanation make any sense at all?,” wrote another.

What is the Aravali issue?

The controversy arises over the Union government’s revised definition of what constitutes the Aravalli hills.

The decision has drawn protests involving environmental activists across Haryana, Rajasthan, and parts of the Delhi-NCR region, who have raised concerns that the new definition could weaken protection for one of the world’s oldest mountain ranges.

Under the revised definition, an “Aravalli hill” is described as any landform in designated Aravalli districts with an elevation of 100 metres or more above local relief, while an “Aravalli range” is defined as a cluster of two or more such hills within 500 metres of each other. Activists fear this could open the door for mining, construction, and commercial activities in previously protected areas.

Environmentalists argue that the Aravalli range serves as a natural barrier against desertification, dust storms, and pollution, and plays a vital role in maintaining ecological balance in the Delhi-NCR region.

They have demanded that the entire Aravalli range be declared a fully protected area with strict conservation measures.

Meanwhile, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav has stated that the new definition, accepted by the Supreme Court based on a Centre-led panel’s recommendations, would not result in any relaxation of mining norms in the Aravalli region.

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