BENGALURU: Taking suo moto cognisance of a TNIE report -- Residents protest against poor state of Sankey Tank -- published on May 25, Upa Lokayukta Justice K N Phaneendra on Tuesday issued notice to the engineers of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB).
Referring to the report, which highlighted the protest held by environmental activists against the deteriorating condition of the lake due inflow of sewage and blockage of rainwater inlets, the Upa Lokayukta stated that this indicates inaction or failure on the part of the authorities concerned.
“Therefore, in my view, the issues raised in the news report and the observations made in the order require immediate attention of the authorities of the state,” he said. Naming all nine engineers as respondents to the proceedings, he directed them to take immediate steps to address the issue and submit their explanations along with details of steps taken in person on July 7.
The officials of bodies such as GBA and BWSSB are under obligation to look into the poor state of the lake and make sure that the existing lakes in and around Bengaluru are preserved and developed. Such incidents shows lack of concern by the authorities towards ecology and biodiversity, he added.
He marked a copy of the order to the deputy commissioner of Bengaluru Urban, commissioner of West City Corporation, chief engineer of BWSSB and minister in-charge of Bengaluru Urban District for necessary action.