City's civic bodies wash their hands of lakes' maintenance

Palike says it can't maintain 60 lakes transferred from BDA

As many as 60 lakes in Bengaluru, including Varthur and Bellandur, have been caught in a crossfire between the city’s civic agencies who are reluctant to take over their upkeep.

On a request from the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA), the Urban Development Department, in a recent government order, transferred 60 lakes in its jurisdiction to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). However, the BBMP has not taken over possession of the lakes citing lack of manpower or resources.

It all began on August 28 this year with BDA commissioner Rajkumar Khatri writing to the government that BDA had 91 lakes in its jurisdiction and the agency was finding it difficult to maintain them due to shortage of funds.

The BDA chief stated that conservation and development of the lakes required an estimated Rs 2,000 crore and the civic agency did not have that much of funds.

The letter further added that the BDA’s present financial position was not sound and it was finding to difficult to implement infrastructure projects in Bengaluru, let alone maintain lakes.

Ironically, BDA’s stand comes at a time when it has shown no hesitation in taking up the controversial Rs 2,100-crore steel flyover between Basaveshwara Circle and Hebbal.

The UDD, on September 14, issued an order transferring 60 of the 91 lakes with the BDA to the BBMP. As many as 10 conditions have been imposed on the BBMP, outlining the parameters for the conservation and development of the lakes.

The lakes include Bengaluru’s largest waterbody Bellandur lake, spread over an area of 919 acres, 24 guntas and also the neigbhouring Varthur lake spread over an expanse of 470 acres, 34 guntas in Bengaluru east taluk. Other major lakes in the list include Talaghattapura lake (19 acres, 16 guntas) and Hulimavu (145 acres, 26 guntas) among others.

However, two-and-a-half months since the GO, the transfer of lakes is yet to take place.

When contacted, BBMP commissioner N Manjunath Prasad said the civic agency can take over the lakes if it is provided with the required manpower and resources.

He pointed out that on earlier occasions, as many as 109  lakes had been transferred from the BDA to the BBMP. The officer said he will place the issue before the BBMP council soon to decide on the next course of action.