BENGALURU: The blatant, overnight encroachment of a part of Varthur lake bed has continued to baffle the authorities who are still trying to figure out the mysterious hands responsible for it.
After receiving several complaints from local residents, Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority (KLCDA) CEO Vidyasagar and Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) Assistant Engineer Mallikarjuna inspected the spot on Monday.
The officials, however, said they did not know who is responsible for the encroachment. But they assured that the encroachment will be cleared “soon” and a criminal case will be registered against the encroachers.
Mallikarjuna said, “It is clear that someone is dumping earth on the lake bed with an intention to encroach. We have informed the tahsildar. He will be visiting the spot on Tuesday and identify the level of encroachment and mark it... We have the registration numbers of the trucks. We will find the people responsible and make sure they clear this encroachment. We will also file a criminal case against them.”
Close to 100 trucks made their way to Varthur Lake between 9.30pm on Saturday and 6 am on Sunday and dumped earth on the lake bed.
Sources said the encroachment was, in fact, going on for almost two weeks. On Saturday, the situation heightened when lorries passed through narrow lanes all through the night to dump earth on the lake bed.
Jagdesh Reddy, a local resident, said, “We are glad that officials came to take note of the situation. They assured us that the encroachment will be removed.”
Mahendra Jain, Additional Chief Secretary, Urban Development Department, said he has asked the BBMP Commissioner to inquire into the issue. “However, it is the responsibility of the DC (of Bengaluru) Urban to look into such matters,” he said.
Members of Namma Bengaluru Foundation were surprised by the extent of encroachment of the primary rajakaluve. They said the rajakaluve was not properly demarcated in spite of the May 4, 2016 National Green Tribunal (NGT) order to do so.
Sridhar Pabbisetty, CEO of the foundation, said, “The primary rajakaluve has not been identified yet. Why are the buffer zones of lakes (75m) and primary rajkaluve (50m) not established? Authorities should implement the NGT order and take action on the encroachers.”