BENGALURU: At least a hundred citizens formed a human chain to urge officials to revive Pattandur Agrahara lake in Whitefield here on Sunday morning. Citizens, including children, gathered at ECC Road in Whitefield along the lake boundary with placards and posters, and also raised slogans.Mahadevapura MLA Arvind Limbavali had agreed to attend the event but could not as he was unwell. However, he issued a statement addressed to the protesters. He claimed that documents pertaining to the lake had been forged to favour certain builders. “The officers concerned have not submitted the proper documents and are making way for land encroachment. We will certainly protest against this until we get the land back,” he said.
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) councillor for Kadugodi ward, Muniswamy, also joined the human chain. He alleged that the officials concerned had colluded with an influential Congress minister. “We are ready to develop this lake using either BBMP or MLA funds. All the relevant documents exist, and yet the lake has been encroached upon,” he said.
The lake has been repeatedly encroached upon by builders and multiple court cases on its ownership are going on. As per an stone inscription dating back to the 11th century found in Kadugodi, the lake dates back to the Chola era and is at least 1,000 years old. It has been recorded as a lake in all official records since 1870s, when the British conducted the first surveys.The citizens want the High Court to review the cases in the light of the lake’s history rather than what is on record as evidence. They have also appealed to the Chief Minister to constitute a judicial or legislative enquiry to take action on the issue.