Davangere, Jan 13: Retaliating against Home Minister MB Patil’s outburst against him, senior Congress leader and MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa called him a monkey.
“He is just a young fellow. What does he know about me and my growth? He is a monkey”, said All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha president Shamanur Shivashankarappa responding to MB Patil’s statement in Hubballi on Sunday.
“MB Patil is a monkey. What does he know about me? I would neither speak much about it nor about him. I have given the statement against those who divide the society and not against Patil. Earlier, Patil had taken wrong route. Prabhakar Kore and myself have saved him”, Shamanur said.
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Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has quashed a May 20, 2022, National Green Tribunal (NGT) order that held the Madras Engineering Group (MEG) and Centre, Bengaluru, responsible for pollution in Halasuru Lake.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice NV Anjaria and Justice KV Aravind ruled that the NGT's order, which imposed an environmental compensation of ₹2.94 crore on MEG, was issued without granting them an opportunity to be heard, violating principles of natural justice.
The court has remanded the case back to the NGT, Southern Zone, Chennai, for reconsideration. The NGT has been directed to decide afresh on the imposition of environmental compensation after providing a fair hearing to MEG.
However, the High Court ordered MEG to deposit ₹1 crore with the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) as per the August 2024 NGT directive. This deposit will remain subject to the outcome of the fresh proceedings.
The NGT initiated the case in March 2016 following a news report that alleged pollution by a slaughterhouse, MEG, and the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB). The BWSSB was also directed to pay ₹1 crore as environmental compensation.
Additional Solicitor General Arvind Kamath, representing MEG, argued that an open stormwater drain under BWSSB flows through MEG’s premises into the lake, contributing to the pollution. He stated that the sewage load from MEG is minimal and plans for a 1,200-KLD sewage treatment plant (STP) are underway.
The bench noted that no proper liability assessment had been conducted against MEG, and no opportunity was provided for them to present their defence before the demand notice was issued.
The matter will now be re-examined by the NGT.