BENGALURU: The 11-member committee headed by Congress MLA K B Koliwad which is looking into the encroachments on lake areas in Bengaluru city is likely to take another three to four months to submit its report to the government.
The committee members are not sure whether they should recommend clearing of the encroachments or regularise them by penalising encroachers or suggest a via-media solution that could result in a win-win situation for all the stake holders.
The members are also reported to be divided on the issue. Koliwad agrees that recommending what to do with the encroachments is the heart of the problem but refused to attribute the delay in submitting the report to this problem. “We were busy getting all 2,000 lakes surveyed, identifying the exact extent of the encroachments with maps and satellite images. This is a herculean task and we have just completed it. Now we will sit and discuss about what should be the committee’s recommendation,” he told Express.
He said that there are different types of encroachments. There are ones done by government agencies like BDA, BBMP, BMTC and Education Department, ones done by builders and others by slum dwellers. “We will have to deal with them separately and find a solution. Therefore, I have circulated a questionnaire to all members asking their opinion on each type of encroachments. I am waiting for their replies. Once I get them, I will submit the report,” he added.