With the BJP and the Congress members of the House Committee on Lakes were not willing to recommend stringent action against the encroachers of lakes in Bengaluru, it was better to dissolve the Committee, said JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy.
Addressing the media here on Thursday, Kumaraswamy, who is also a member of the Committee, claimed that he was the only member who has been insisting that the matter be taken to a logical conclusion. “We have to take a strong decision. If some people are found to be innocent, then the Committee can suggest remedial measures. But if no action is going to be taken against any of them, then it is better to dissolve the Committee,” he added.
He, however, retracted his earlier statement where he had said that he would resign from the Committee.
Water scarcity
Kumaraswamy also said that Bengaluru was already bearing the brunt of water scarcity. If the Cauvery Water Management Board is set up, the water situation in Bengaluru will only worsen.
The lakes have all either dried up or encroached upon, while the ground water was contaminated. It was high time that the government focused upon reviving the lakes, he added.
The Committee which met on Thursday is yet to take a decision on submitting its interim report. Committee chairperson K B Koliwad said that a decision to this effect will be taken during the next week’s meeting.
He also dismissed Kumaraswamy’s statements. “He is just politicising the issue. Such is not the opinion of the Committee,” he added.
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