NGT committee finds no violations in Netravathi riverfront project

NGT committee finds no violations in Netravathi riverfront project

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, July 29, 2024: A joint committee formed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to investigate alleged violations in the Netravathi Riverfront Promenade project by Mangaluru Smart City Ltd. found no breaches of conditions set by the Karnataka State Coastal Zone Management Authority in its Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance.

The committee reported no significant damage to mangroves, as alleged by the National Environment Care Federation (NECF), during a physical inspection on June 11. Although a few scattered mangrove plants were observed, there were no large patches that would meet the CRZ requirements. The Coastal Zone Management Plan map also did not show any significant mangrove areas of 1,000 square meters or more.

The committee consisted of Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner M.P. Mullai Muhilan, Central Pollution Control Board Scientist ‘E’ T. Mahima, Union Environment Ministry Scientist ‘D’ R. Sridhar, and National Centre for Coastal Research, Chennai Scientist ‘E’ Satya Kiran Raju.

Regarding NECF’s claims about the creation of a 9-meter-wide space for a bicycle track and walking path, the committee noted that MSCL had raised the height of the old stone masonry wall along the project area by 600 mm above the high flood level, as per the CRZ clearance dated October 7, 2022. This increase is intended to prevent flooding, erosion, and bank destabilization, and to protect adjacent areas from inundation.

As for allegations of MSCL dumping construction debris into the river, the committee found no evidence of solid waste dumping during their inspection. They also noted that the company had begun dismantling a 42-square-meter bird-watching area near the railway bridge after it was found to be unauthorized.

The committee’s report highlighted that a 2.1-kilometer stretch from the Netravathi bridge to the Bolara sea face is being developed with walking and bicycle tracks, with approximately 1.6 kilometers of work already completed in patches.

The NGT’s Principal Bench and Southern Bench had initiated separate ’suo motu’ proceedings against MSCL based on media reports. Currently, the Southern Bench is hearing the matters.