Mangaluru: The main bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), New Delhi would be hearing the plea seeking cancellation of Yettinahole project today. However it is to be seen if the bench would deliver the final verdict in the case today September 21 or postpone the hearing to a later date.

While the Chennai bench was to pronounce a final verdict in the matter after having gone through all the hearings, the judgement got delayed owing to the resignation of a member of an expert committee.

In view of this the applicants requested the Chennai bench to transfer the case to Main Bench at Delhi. The move was objected by Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Ltd (KNNL) , however the objection was overruled and the petition to transfer the case was accepted.

The appellants of the case are Purushotham Chitrapur from Mangaluru, H.A. Kishore from Hassan, K.N. Somashekhar from Mysuru and Yathiraju from Tumakuru. The NGT bench headed by Justice Swatantra Kumar will be hearing the arguments in the case.

In its interim order dated 29th August 2016, NGT had stayed the felling of further trees in the project area. However the felling of trees has continued in violation of the bench’s orders.

K.N. Somashekhar has toured the area and collected information regarding the violations will be filing an affidavit for contempt of court orders today.

Though the people of Dakshina Kannada have been opposed to the project, former chief ministers, D V Sadananda Gowda and Veerappa Moily have been openly supporting it.