The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) have joined the list of entities, including leading builders like Prestige and Brigade groups, that have encroached upon lake land, according to data provided by the Department of Survey Settlement and Land Records (SSLR).
As per the new survey sketches of lakes and water bodies prepared by the SSLR in Bengaluru Urban and Bengaluru Rural districts, the Prestige Group has encroached four guntas of Haraluru lake land, while Brigade Group has encroached 16 guntas of Huskur lake. Both the lakes are located in Bengaluru east taluk in Bengaluru Urban district.
The present status of encroachments and their survey numbers have been identified on the sketches. Adharsh developers, Divyashree tech park have also been named encroachers.
Besides, the Isro office at RMV II stage is located on lake land: About 8.35 acres of the then Geddalahalli lake has been encroached for this purpose. The entire RMV II stage layout developed by the BDA is on lake land. The BDA has encroached 21.18 acres for the layout. Interestingly, residences of some of the prominent politicians of the State are located in this layout.
The survey has identified many private layouts, a number of individual houses and apartment complexes that are constructed illegally on lakes. But it is not clear why respective government agencies responsible for protecting the lakes and water bodies remained mute spectators all these years.
The SSLR has identified a total 4,205 lakes and water bodies in the two districts. Of this, about 1,500 sketches have been unloaded by the department on its website. The survey is being done following a direction by the Karnataka Legislative committee set up to look into the encroachment of lakes in the two districts.
Besides the BDA, the Forest Department, the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) and KIADB have been found to have encroached many lakes. SSLR lake sketches are authenticated by the revenue authorities, including tahasildars, revenue inspectors, panchayat development officers and village accounts.