Encroachment of four lakes and their stormwater drains have come to the attention of the Urban Development Department, thanks to a high court order.
Taking notice, the department has asked the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to clear the encroachments immediately.
The ones in question are Kaggadasapura Lake, Begur Lake, Subramanyapura Lake and KR Puram Lake. While there are 23 encroachments on Kaggadasapura Lake, about six acres of the Begur Lake land has been encroached upon.
The extent of Subramanyapura Lake in Uttarahalli is 25 acres and six guntas as per revenue records, but the BBMP states that its area is only 18 acres and six guntas. A total of 9.39 acres from the Yele Mallappa Shetty Lake in KR Puram has also been encroached upon.
Action by the state government came after the NGO Citizen Action filed a writ petition in the high court, stating that certain portions of the lake area and the buffer zone have been encroached upon, affecting the integrity and development of the waterbody.
During a hearing in the court on April 1, the BBMP sought more time to take action against encroachers, saying Subramanyapura Lake is still under the custody of the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA).
The BDA, however, claims to have handed over the lake, including the stormwater drains, to the BBMP long ago.
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(Published 07 April 2022, 20:18 IST)
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