BBMP's project wing receives flak for dumping soil into lake to build 30-ft rd

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s project division is building a 30-ft-wide road inside the sprawling Kaggadasapura lake in East Bengaluru.

The project division has dumped many truckloads of soil in the lakebed to build the road. This has enraged the Palike’s lake division.

A week ago, the lake officer wrote to the executive engineer (EE) of the BBMP’s project division to immediately stop the work.

In his letter, the Palike’s lake officer wrote: “It has come to our notice that your division is building a ‘road’ inside the lake. Under section 14 (6), chapter-3 of the Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority Act-2014, no road, bridges or other construction activities should be carried out. Building a road inside the lake is a criminal offence.”

“Hence, you have to stop the construction of the road inside the lake area immediately and inform this office in three days. You have to apprise the Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority before taking up any project in the lake area,” the lake officer wrote.

The lake, spread across 50 acres and 26 guntas, is surrounded by Bagmane Tech Park, Texas Instruments, Cognizant Technology Solutions and other IT companies. Land prices have gone up astronomically in the area and many multi-storey apartments are coming up around the lake.

It is learnt that the project division has earmarked Rs 1 crore for building the road.

The construction of the road has irked the residents of the area.

“The road is being constructed illegally to facilitate big builders. The project division has no business to level the lake by dumping soil and build the road there. Project division engineers did not bother to even inform the lake division as is apparent from the letter,” said Anand Vasudevan, resident of Kaggadasapura.

The residents accused the Bangalore Development Authority of doing nothing when the lake was in its custody. Due to its inability to improve the lake, BDA handed over the lake to BBMP on February 24, 2016, they said.

Taking serious note of it, BBMP commissioner N Manjunath Prasad said no construction activity should take place in the lake bed.

“It is a serious offence. I will take stringent action against those involved in the wrongdoing. We will restore the lake,” said the commissioner