Large-scale fishkill in Ulsoor Lake echoes in Palike Council meeting

The mass fish death at the Ulsoor Lake early this week echoed in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Council meeting on Thursday.

Raising the matter in the Council, ruling party leader R S Sathyanarayana said, “The BBMP, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) are primarily responsible for the incident. We will decide as to who was/were responsible for the large-scale fishkill at Ulsoor Lake.”

He sought to know why the Palike has allowed fishery in over 80 tanks in the City. The Halasur ward corporator Mamatha Saravana said, “Fish mafia is at work in Halasur. Those involved in it are not bothered about the conservation of the lake.” She also sought to know how much the BBMP earns from the boating taken up by the Tourism department in Ulsoor lake.

Corporator Umesh Shetty demanded action against the Tourism department officials who have been allowing boating services illegally in Ulsoor Lake.

Mayor B N Manjunath Reddy said that a Memorandum of Understanding was signed for the development of Ulsoor Lake but due to the laxity of the BBMP officials, it could not materialise. He also blamed the Fisheries department for the sorry state of Ulsoor Lake.

Former mayor B S Sathyanarayana, who had launched the Namma Bengaluru Nanna Koduge (My Contribution to Our Bengaluru) scheme, said Canara Bank had agreed to develop it but the officials shut the doors on the development of Ulsoor Lake, which resulted in the fishkill three days ago.