Karnataka govt asked to justify transfer of Puttenahalli bird reserve to BBMP

BENGALURU: The Karnataka high court has directed the state government to justify whether a conservation reserve could be transferred to the BBMP.
A division bench headed by chief justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka gave this direction while hearing a PIL related to Puttenahalli Lake Bird Conservation Reserve. The petition has questioned the transferring of the reserve to the BBMP by way of a notification issued on November 19, 2019.
The bench had noted that prima facie, the control of conservation reserve cannot be handed over to BBMP. It further noted that that so long as the declaration under section 36A of Wildlife (Protection) Act continues to operate, the powers of chief wildlife warden and Conservation Reserve Management Committees remain unaffected.