BENGALURU: Pattandur Agrahara Residential Welfare Association has moved the Karnataka High Court against the encroachment of Pattandur Agrahara lake situated at Survey No 54 of Pattandur Agrahara in Ward No 83, Kadugodi, at Whitefield in Bengaluru East.
Hearing this PIL, a division bench of Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice Krishna S Dixit asked the government advocate to get instructions on the matter. The petitioners contended that the lake was recorded as ‘lake’ in all official records since 1870, wherein the British Surveyors surveyed and published the map in 1876 which clearly shows the existence of the lake.
The lake dates back to the Chola era and is a pristine water body consisting of aquatic weeds and visited by a variety of bird species.“Now, the lake, widely spread about 13 acres, has been encroached by land sharks. The lake has been made to shrink due to illegal encroachment, dumping of waste and debris, and cutting of trees surrounding it. Shockingly, the authorities transferred the Record of Right of Sy No 54 in favour of some private persons as such the residents have protested to urge the authorities to remove the encroachment,” the petitioner said. In the petition, the respondents were Secretary, Revenue Department, Special Deputy Commissioner, Bengaluru North, Tahsildar, KR Puram, Bangalore Development Authority, Assistant Director of Land Records, Bengaluru East.
Honorarium to midday meal workers
A division bench of Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice Krishna S Dixit on Monday observed there should be honour in the honorarium being paid to women workers engaged in midday meal scheme. The court made this observation during the hearing of a PIL filed by social activist Nowhera Shaik. She has sought directives to the government to give minimum wages to those workers, who were presently paid `2,600 to `2,700 per month. The court said even the demand for `3,000 per month by workers looks like pittance and asked the government advocate to instruct the authorities to do needful.