BENGALURU: Officials of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) lake division shot off a letter to their colleagues in the major roads engineering section on December 14 to stop road works on the buffer zone of Pattandur Agarahara Lake.
The officials acted on a complaint filed by citizens and marshals, stating that the corporation is violating the National Green Tribunal directions of maintaining a buffer zone and also going against an ongoing High Court case.
In the letter, the lake section engineers said the road work from ITPL to Varthur Kodi is passing through the lake's buffer zone which is a violation of the Lake Preservation Act. They said, "The lake is not part of BBMP's rejuvenation list. But that does not mean it is not a lake. It is a listed water body and all need to be protected. Once we get grants a dedicated nodal engineer will be appointed. It is not a diffused lake. No road work is permitted around the lake."
The protection of the water body is an ongoing case in the High Court. According to the petitioners and residents around the lake, "Since the lake had dried up, BBMP engineers assumed that the site is vacant. The matter is still subjudice so the status quo of the water body, the buffer zone and the wetlands should remain intact. The High Court is hearing the matter on the maintainability of the lake and not the validity of the lake. As per orders of NGT and multiple courts, the if a water body is once declared it is permanent."