BENGALURU: Following Lokayukta inspection and warning, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials have accelerated the development of Vibhutipura Lake.
Gates have been installed at the entrance, gaps at buffer zones have been covered with concrete bricks and a bulldozer has been deployed to remove dried-up silt from the waterbody. According to officials, about 20 truckloads of silt was removed in the last 10 days.
Similarly, the Lokayukta also inspected Gottigere and Jakkur Lakes last week and gave necessary directions to officials to address and fix issues like pollution, sewage inflow, incomplete chain link fencing, and discrepancies between estimates and work executed at the lake.
The Lokayukta also asked officials including BBMP Zonal and Joint Commissioners to take note of the illegal structures in the buffer zone, including a farmhouse, a resort and a factory on the eastern side of the Gottigere lake. Officials assured to take appropriate legal action by issuing notices to the individuals responsible for these permanent structures and thereafter proceed by law.
In addition, the Executive Engineer, BBMP Lakes was also directed to submit a detailed report about the amount sanctioned by the government for the development of the Gottigere Lake, the amount spent, quantum of work carried out so far, pending works and remaining funds, along with supporting documents, geotag photographs and videos. The Lokayukta set a deadline on September 30 to submit a detailed report on the development activities at the lake.
Further, it also inspected ongoing construction works of a 10 MLD Sewage Treatment Plant, which is worth Rs 37 crore at Jakkur Lake. The officials informed that 60 per cent work is done and soon the remaining works will be completed. The officials from the BWSSB also informed about another 7 MLD capacity STP.
The Lokayukta instructed the officials to provide sketches of both existing and upcoming STP facilities and requested water samples from the lake for analysis. Chief Engineer, Lakes, BBMP Vijaykumar Haridas was directed to file a report on the progress of the development works carried out at Jakkur Lake. The Lokayukta set October 14 as the deadline for the submission of the action-taken report at Jakkur lake.