BDA panel visits Varthur lake

Members of the Bangalore Development Authority’s (BDA) technical committee on Tuesday visited Varthur lake to take stock of the ground situation before the desilting work.

To desilt a part of the lake, the BDA has signed a Memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Mineral Enterprise Limited (MEL), a mining company.

According to experts, BDA officials and committee members, there is around four million cubic metres of silt, and the MEL would remove 0.87 million cubic metres of silt. But the BDA has to find a place where the MEL can dump the silt.

The visit follows after the committee held a detailed meeting on Monday. Prof T V Ramachandra from IISc along with officials from BDA, Minor Irrigation Department (MID) and from Whitefield Rising and Varthur Rising visited the lake.

The committee noted that work could commence only after the BDA finds a place to dispose of the silt and the MID clears the mud and construction waste dumped in the lake. And also after the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) clears the high tension lines passing through the lake.

Though the MoU was signed in June, last year, nothing has happened yet on the ground due to procedural delays and lack of permissions. Topography survey has been completed. Soil testing, water testing and silt testing have also been done, the committee noted.

The committee also visited the lake to understand the detailed project report submitted by the MEL.