76 industries shut for polluting Bellandur lake

Bengaluru, May 19 : The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) on Friday shut down 76 industries for polluting the Bellandur lake here.

This followed an order from the National Green Tribunal on Thursday.

"We have ordered 76 industries around the lake to shut down and directed the Bengaluru Electricity Supply Co (Bescom) to disconnect power to them," KSPCB Chairman Lakshman told reporters here.

The tribunal bench, headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar, also directed the pollution control watch to personally inspect the industries around the 910-acre lake to verify if they had shut down.

The Board also directed 157 apartments in the vicinity of the lake to install sewage treatment plants (STPs) to prevent discharge of sewage into it.

The Tribunal directed the Board to inspect the polluting industries under Section 33 A of the Water Act and Section 5 of the Environment Protection Act.

"We have firmly told the industries and apartment owners to obey the NGT order. There will be no power supply to the apartments if they don't set up the STPs," said Lakshman.

On May 5, the Karnataka government decided to seek more time to abide by the Tribunal's April 19 interim order to shut the industries, deweed and desilt the lake and prevent sewage flowing into it.