Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, May 11: Even after two years since legal struggle against execution of Yettinahole project was launched, no final solution is in the offing. The petitioners have been fighting against the project mainly on the basis of the devastation and damage it will inflict on ecology and environment of Western Ghats. Normally petitions in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) are decided faster.

As the hearing is being put off repeatedly, the case reminds one of the legal maxims, 'Justice delayed is Justice denied'. Frequent adjournments of the case have frustrated the petitioners. Pained by long delay and postponements, the petitioners have approached the chairman of National Green Tribunal (green bench), Justice Swatanter Kumar, with a request to either re-transfer the case to Chennai bench or quash the petition.

The chairman has agreed to the requested and posted hearing before the vacation bench of NGT on June 23. The petitioners have lost patience and now they are not too much bothered about the outcome of the legal struggle. They just want the case to reach its logical conclusion. Petitioner, Kishore, said that delaying of the hearing long is nothing but denial of justice. "After we sought dismissal of the petition or transfer to Chennai bench, NGT gave June 23 as the next day of hearing. This has given us some solace," he says.

The petitions were filed in 2015 April by Purushotham Chitrapur from the city, Kishore as well as K N Somashekhar from Sakleshpur. As the case was languishing in Chennai bench of NGT, it was sought to be transferred to main bench at New Delhi. For various reasons, hearing in the case has not been progressing of late.