Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) is planning to hand over the lakes rejuvenated by it without breeding fish as planned earlier to Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).
This move comes in the wake of Fisheries Department instructing other departments to refrain from auctioning fishes which are reared in the tanks and lakes which are under their control.
The BDA has completed the rejuvenation works on Ullal, Mallathahalli, Kommaghatta, Ramasandra, Thalaghattapura, Konasandra, Sompura, Kothnur, Jakkur-Sampigehalli, Rachenahalli, Venkateshpura, Doddabidharkallu and Lalbagh lakes which were handed over to it for rejuvenation by the State government.
According to the original plan, the BDA was supposed to breed fish which would cleanse the lakes by eating leaves and other organic matter which gets into the lakes to preserve the environment in and around the lakes.
According to officials, the BDA has already written a letter to BBMP Commissioner H Siddaiah expressing its desire to handover the lakes and has stated that the rejuvenation works have been completed.
When asked about the issue, BDA Commissioner T Sham Bhatt said, “We are not breeding the fish as planned earlier. As most of the works are complete we are planning to hand over the lakes to the BBMP.”
However, the Fisheries Department’s Principal Secretary Aravind Jannu said, “According to the rules, all the fishing rights in the government properties belong to the Fisheries Department and it only is authorised to auction the fishes from government ponds, lakes and tanks and to collect the revenue generated from it. Therefore, we have issued circulars to every concerned department including the Lake Development Authority (LDA)”.