BENGALURU: Around nine acres of the 12-acre Chikkalasandra Lake in Bengaluru South has been under encroachment for nearly four decades, Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda informed the Legislative Council on Thursday.
Responding to a question by MLC Arathi Krishna, the minister said the lake measures 12 acres and 26 guntas. Government records show that about nine acres has been encroached nearly 40 years ago, even before the land was handed over to the municipal corporation.
The Revenue Department had earlier conducted an encroachment clearance drive at the lake and adjoining stormwater drain and installed fencing to prevent further encroachments. However, the government said the lake has since lost its original character and no maintenance or development works have been undertaken.
The government has sought the Bengaluru Urban deputy commissioner’s intervention to conduct a survey and physically demarcate the lake boundaries. Once the boundaries are identified, encroachments will be cleared in coordination with the Revenue Department, following the High Court’s directions and relevant government orders.