BENGALURU: Manganahalli Lake in Ullal is dying a slow death after being abandoned by authorities. Now, irate residents have written to Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, seeking his intervention in the matter, and hope that the lake gets a much-needed rejuvenation.
The lake, spread across five acres in Sir M Visvesvaraiah Layout, was handed over from the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) two months back. But despite this, residents say the lake is filthy, and have decided to reach out to the CM directly.
Narayan Kulkarni, a resident, said, “The lake has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Though it is full due to rainfall, sewage water and pollutants are destroying the lake. The stench from the lake has made it difficult for citizens to step out of their homes.” He said that they tried approaching the BBMP and BDA, but in vain.
The lake is said to have been rejuvenated by the BDA in 2016 for Rs 1 crore, but BBMP officials say otherwise. The lake bed has been encroached the by BDA to pave a main road they say. On the other side of the lake is Nice Road.
“The lake is in bad condition. To start with, we will need to find where it connects to a stormwater drain. The lake was developed, but not maintained. The lake bed has been paved. Currently, due to financial constraints, we have been unable to take up maintenance works,” said Nitya, BBMP executive engineer, lakes.
BDA officials said that due to financial constraints, all lakes, except Bellandur and Varthur, were handed over to the BBMP, but BBMP officials say that the lakes were handed over in a hurry and are in pathetic condition. “We have appealed to the government to release funds for maintenance of the 38 recently-handed over lakes. On an average, Rs 12- Rs 15 crore is needed for the revival of each lake,” Nitya added.