Ulsoor lake.
Credit: DH file photo
Bengaluru: Minor Irrigation Minister NS Boseraju said on Wednesday that most of the 187 lakes in Bengaluru were bigger than 100 acres and would remain unaffected by the Karnataka Tank Conservation and Development Authority (Amendment) Bill. Overall, there are 41,849 lakes in the state.
Addressing a news conference, Boseraju explained that the government would soon send back the bill to Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot with necessary clarifications. While sending back the bill, Gehlot had underlined issues raised by Bengaluru Town Hall, a citizen collective, which petitioned Raj Bhavan seeking rejection of the Bill.
As per the bill, lakes up to 0.05 guntas, or 544 sq ft, will not have a buffer zone. For a lake measuring up to one acre, the buffer zone will be 3 metres. It will be 6 metres for lakes sized 1-10 acres, 12 metres for lakes sized 10-25 acres, 24 metres for lakes sized 25-100 metres and 30 metres for lakes above 100 acres.
Boseraju reiterated the rationale behind the bill. He explained that the people and legislators from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi had approached the government to relax the buffer zones, and that a committee of bureaucrats headed by the chief secretary had recommended the changes that were later incorporated in the bill.