Dr. S.A. Prasad 15 October 1999
President
To
Mr. Alex Jorgensen
Senior Project Implementation Officer
Asian Development Bank
37 Golf Links
New Delhi – 110 003 .
Dear Mr. Jorgensen,
We are in receipt of your letter dated 11 Oct 99 on 13 Oct 99, which has crossed our letter dated 12 Oct 99 mailed on 13 Oct 99. We thank you for showing concern for the environmental impact on the Lingambudi Lake, albeit at this late stage.
We would like to again draw your kind attention to our letter dated 12 Oct 99 in which we reiterated the points made during the meeting on 08 Oct 99 at KUIDFC, Bangalore. We would like to recall the stand taken by you during the meeting that the Bank is only the financing authority, and the issue of adverse environmental impact is to be decided between us (informed and concerned citizens) and the authorities (Implementing Agency). You had also explicitly stated during the meeting that the EIA would only give recommendations that will have to be studied, and decision taken by the Stakeholders. We are therefore dismayed to read your statement that “The outer ring road component will then be designed and constructed in accordance with the recommendations of the EIA“. We trust that you have not already taken a position with regard to the alignment of the road.
In this context, we would like to point out paragraph 2 (a) and 2 (c) of our letter dated 12 Oct 99, and our earlier letter dated 25 Sep 99 in which we have shown that it is gross neglect of the authorities in not conducting an EIA when the matter of adverse environmental impact on the Lake was brought to their notice as long back as 1995. Mr. Ravi Kumar conducted the consultants and other officials to the spot in 1998 and again in 1999 (when Mr. Robert D. Berlin was in the group) to explain the matter on the ground. It appears that the matter first came to the notice of your Bank in April 1999 when Maj Gen S.G.Vombatkere (Retd) met and informed Mr. Nitin Patel and Mr. Munawwar Alam at Windsor Manor Hotel, Bangalore, after we found that in spite of all our efforts, the authorities appeared to be going for tendering to construct the ORR on the proposed alignment. The first EIA was done by an Agency from Hyderabad as a result of this meeting. We are still not aware of the outcome of this EIA. It may kindly be appreciated that we had all along since 1995, been working for the environmental health of the Lake; nonetheless we welcome the attention of the Bank even at this late stage.
As you have mentioned, the Lake is not a pristine area. We are painfully aware of this fact. Indeed, this was brought out by Mr. Ravi Kumar in his presentation on 08 Oct 99, and we have covered this issue in paragraph 2 (d) of our letter dated 12 Oct 99. For your information, the run-off from agricultural areas to the west and south of the Lake (mentioned in paragraph 2 of your letter dated 11 Oct 99) will not affect the Lake as they are downstream of the Lake.
We regret that we do not agree that the contents of your letter dated 11 Oct 99 are truly representative of the proceedings of the Meeting of 08 Oct 99.
We were under the impression that we were to deal with KUIDFC and MUDA in this matter in the future, but seeing the personal interest that you are taking in this matter, we will continue to correspond with you.
We shall look forward to further interaction with you in this regard, and to your visit to Mysore at an early date.
With regards and best wishes,
Yours sincerely,
(Dr.S.A.Prasad)
President, MGP
Copy to:
1. Mrs. Sudha Krishnan, IA&AS
Director (Finance), KUIDFC,
Bangalore – 560 052.
2. Mr. G.B.Hiremaniyavar, KAS
Commissioner, MUDA,
Mysore – 570 005.
3. Dr. P.Boregowda, IAS
Commissioner, Mysore City Corporation,
Mysore – 570 002.
4. Mr U.N. Ravi Kumar
N.I.E., Mysore – 570 008.
5. Maj Gen S.G. Vombatkere (Retd)
475, 7th Main Road
Vijayanagar 1st Stage
Mysore – 570 017.
6. Mr. H.R. Bapu Satyanarayana
12th Main Road
Saraswathipuram
Mysore – 570 009.