BENGALURU: With hardly 30 days remaining for the end of 2024, tonnes of silt still lying uncleared at 900 acres of Bellandur Lake and officials failing to work on wetlands, the completion of the restoration of Bellandur Lake by December 2024 is likely to go up in smoke.
In 2018, The National Green Tribunal directed the state government to keep Rs 500 Crores in an escrow account and directed to develop Bellandur as well as Varthur Lake; however, both the State government and BDA have failed in completion of project.
As per lake activists and conservationists, out of the estimated 32.33 lakh cubic meters of silt, 22.69 lakh cubic meters (70%) have been removed, leaving 30% unfinished. As the officials failed to tackle the protest and speedy work of silt removal, the rejuvenation and beginning of wetland improvement work is also stalled.
The BDA officials in the past also blamed heavy rains stalling their work. “The monsoon excuse is farcical. Dewatering has been done before in 70 percent of the lake area.
Without an immediate resumption of rejuvenation, we’ll lose this year too. If the project is shelved citing a lack of funds, Rs 100 crores spent so far will be wasted,” said Sonali Singh, Citizen Change Maker - Bellandur The government of Karnataka stated that escrow fund is already used, as Rs 250 crore was spent on Sewage Treatment Plants near Lake and Rs 100 crore each allocated to Bellandur Lake Varthur Lake for desilting was utilised. The remaining amount was spent in developing villages where silt was deposited in Mylasandra and Vithalsandra.
“Currently Rs 12 crore worth of invoices remain unpaid, halting critical work. BBMP marshals’ salaries are pending, undermining security and dumping,” said Jagadish Reddy, a social worker with the Bellandur-Varthur Lakes Development Committee.