Remove lake encroachments, adhere to timeline: HC to BBMP

The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday said the engineers of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will be deemed suspended if they do not adhere to the timeline in removing encroachments in Subramanyapura and Begur lakes. A division bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Alok Aradhe has posted the matter to September 1, 2022 directing the designated officer to file the compliance report.

During the hearing, the BBMP submitted a timeline, as directed by the court in the previous hearing, with longer duration to carry out the survey and identification of the properties on the encroached lake land.

The bench, however, altered the timeline and directed the BBMP officers and the tahsildars appointed by the state government to carry out the survey and physical marking of the area within short time and also to issue notices to the encroachers. The bench directed the authorities to start removing the encroachments in a time-bound manner.

Permit for walkway

Meanwhile, the court permitted the construction of a walkway around the Begur Lake. However, the bench said the authorities shall use only the de-silted material of the lake for the construction without compromising the actual area of the lake.

The court has also directed that the walkway constructed should strictly be used for maintenance of the lake, de-silting and de-weeding purposes. It has also specified that the existing roads falling within the lake area of both Subramanyapura and Begur lakes should not be widened.