BENGALURU: A Bengaluru-based group formed to protect the city’s lakes inspected three lakes and a kalyani on Saturday. Their findings were, however, worrying.
The members of the group, United Bengaluru, include senior freedom fighter H S Doreswamy, lake and urban experts, members of lake groups, elected representatives and officials. They inspected Subramanyapura, Vasanthapura and Gowdanapalya lakes, all located in the Bomanahalli zone, and Vasanthapura kalyani. They found encroachments and inflow of sewage at all the three lakes.
Vishwanath S, a water conservation expert was also a part of the team. He said, “Nobody is taking responsibility for the encroachments and the sewage inflow. The corporators were present but they had the usual excuses.”
Sridhar Pabbishetty, another member, said a BBMP pourakarmika dumped garbage into Subramanyapura lake right in front of them. He added that in Gowdanapalya lake, locals said that of a total area of 9.5 acres, some three acres had been encroached as per the last survey.
Speaking about the Vasanthpura kalyani, a 17th century heritage structure built by Maratha king Shivaji’s father Shahaji Raje Bhonsle, Pabbishetty said it now looks like a shallow pit. He said United Bengaluru has documents which prove that BBMP was closing most part of the tank to build an approach road for a builder’s property. The builder’s name is N Balakrishna Naidu.
A complaint has been filed in Subramanyapura police station against the encroachment and dumping in the lake. A complaint regarding the kalyani will be registered with the Muzrai department on Monday.