BENGALURU: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Paike (BBMP) has issued a stern warning to Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and other private organisations for allegedly engaging in fundraising for lake ‘development’ and other activities, stating that there is a court stay against such collections.
With NGOs and associations reportedly raising funds for lake revival and development activities, the BBMP said, this is not legal. A senior engineer said that a prominent group in the Bengaluru South Parliament segment is involved in such activity and has pasted a QR code for UPI payments towards lake development.
“The private association appointed guards who even prevented BBMP maintenance team and engineers during a visit. Since the lake is a municipal property, NGOs and private organisations which indulge in fund collection will be discouraged. The NGOs and private associations will have to enter a Memorandum of Understanding with BBMP and have to declare that they will not resort to fund collection or any commercial agenda,” said a lake engineer. The engineer also said a notice was issued to an NGO seeking clarification over their action.
Supporting the BBMP’s claims, the Karnataka Tank Development and Conservation Authority (KTDCA) stated that it can also issue notices if it becomes aware of such fund collection activities.
“The KTDCA is very clear, until the matter gets resolved in terms of funds collection for waterbody development from the public from the court, collections are considered illegal. Our teams have been alerted and are cross-checking with NGOs and associations involved in lake management, if we find them involved in fund collection, we will cancel the permission given to them for lake development and other activities, said a senior KTDCA official.
The official maintained that, as the judge hearing the matter related to mobilising of funds by a private organisation was elevated to the Supreme Court, the judgment listed remained as it is and now a fresh hearing has to take place in the matter.