Bengaluru: Karnataka high court has directed both the state and central govts to ensure no development activities take place on the grounds at the Roerich and Devika Rani estate on the outskirts of Bengaluru.A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Poonacha, issued the direction on a PIL petition filed by RR Nagar I Care Trust, Bengaluru.
The petitioner challenged the Dec 24, 2024 notification granting approval for an eco-tourism and cultural hub project at the estate. The next hearing on the petition will be on Feb 16.The state’s counsel sought time to file a statement of objections. Shanthi Bhushan H, deputy solicitor general, appearing on behalf of the Centre, stated that no proposal was received regarding the project in question and, at this stage, it could not be implemented. Meanwhile, the petitioner trust said the proposal to build a 450-car parking facility and accommodation for visitors would harm the area’s ecology, as it abuts the Bannerghatta forest range, an elephant corridor. The master plan, as well as central rules regarding eco-tourism, clearly stipulate that the ecology cannot be disturbed, the petitioner claimed.In addition to challenging the proposed project, the petitioner trust sought a direction to the board of the estate to conduct scientific profiling of environmental, ecological, and wildlife factors, and develop a plan towards the object and intent to acquire it. A direction was also sought for declaration of the contiguous area of the estate as a Biodiversity Heritage Site, or to propose a conservation reserve for the remaining estate.Request puzzles officialsAt a time when the tourism department is pushing ahead with plans to develop an eco-tourism and cultural hub at the Roerich and Devika Rani Estate, overlooking concerns raised by the forest department, a recent request from the estate board left forest officials puzzled.As part of the Creative City Bengaluru festival, the Tataguni estate on Kanakapura Road will host around 25 artists from Russia and Austria for a two-day sketching event on Friday and Saturday. Citing the presence of “dangerous wild animals” on the premises, the estate board sought additional protection from the forest department to ensure the safety of the visiting artists. In a letter to the deputy conservator of forests, Bengaluru Urban, the board requested the deployment of extra forest and security personnel on both days of the event.Conservationists termed the request ironic, noting that the forest department’s earlier warnings about elephants, leopards, sloth bears and other wildlife in and around the estate were downplayed by the tourism department while planning the eco-tourism project. “If additional security is needed for a two-day event, imagine the risks if the estate is opened to thousands of tourists daily. The threat to life and the cost of security would be enormous,” a conservationist said, urging the govt to reconsider the project.
