Bengaluru
The Karnataka High Court on Monday said that construction of permanent buildings in Bandipur Tiger Reserve and eco-sensitive areas will not be allowed. Actor Ganesh who was planning to build a huge house at Jakkalli in Hangala hobli near Bandipur, has suffered a setback.
Ganesh had filed a petition in the High Court challenging the forest department’s notice objecting to the construction of a building at Jakkalli. A bench headed by Justice Krishna Dixit said only temporary residential houses can be constructed in an eco-sensitive area. In addition, no massive and permanent building construction is allowed. In this regard, permission will not be granted for the construction of the building, it said.
The petitioner, Ganesh, has to reply within the next one week to the notice issued by the forest department challenging the move to construct a huge building. The Court directed the forest department officials to verify the reply within the next four weeks and complete the inquiry. The bench, however, made it clear that the construction work should not be resumed in any manner till the process is completed.
Actor Ganesh had purchased land in an eco-sensitive area under bandipur tiger reserve. He had requested the forest department to allow him to build a farmhouse on the land. The forest department and the Regional Commissioner, who examined the request, had allowed the construction of a temporary residential house.
To this, Ganesh said that a temporary residential house will be constructed. No permanent building of any kind will be constructed. He also gave an undertaking that it would not be used for commercial purposes and that no action would be taken to harm the wildlife in any way.
However, environmentalists later objected to Ganesh’s move to build a huge building. The forest department had issued a notice to Ganesh. It also directed that the work should not be carried out till further orders. Ganesh had approached the High Court challenging this.
