Thousands of people gathered near Sankey Tank on Sunday morning, to protest against the proposal to construct an apartment complex by a construction company in the area.
The residents have urged the Lokayukta to conduct an inquiry into the matter.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, Mullahalli Suri, chairperson of Parisara Parampara Trust, said that the residents got to know through media that the Mantri Group was planning to construct a huge apartment complex, adjacent to Sankey Tank. The construction is supposed to come up a few metres away from the Sankey Tank lakebed.
The residents are of the opinion that the construction of apartment near the lakebed would ruin the waterbody. Construction activities in the lake’s vicinity would lead to gradual encroachment and also pollute the lake. Apart from aquatic species, the flora and fauna would also get affected, he said.
“We have demanded a detailed project report of the proposed apartment complex which includes the inlet and outlet of effluents, sewerage and water pipelines. The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) had stalled the project last year, after a detailed inspection.
We got to know that the project will soon be launched. At the meeting organised to against the project, we decided to approach the Lokayukta for a detailed inquiry into the matter and book cases against the officials concerned. There is a need to maintain a proper buffer zone around all the water bodies,” Suri said.
He said that he had written to the Bangalore Development Authority, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, the Lake Development Authority, the Forest department and the KSPCB. Morning walkers, members of various associations and organisations, including Save Sankey Forum, Bangalore, Prathishatana Trust, Malleswaram and Sadashivanagar Residents’ Welfare Associations, and several NGOs took part in the protest.
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