Restore lake, residents urge Palike

 At least 500 residents of the area around the Vibhutipura lake in HAL took out a march on Saturday, protesting against the encroachment of the water body.

Vibhutipura Lake, which  is one of the prominent water bodies apart from Doddanekkundi lake in the area, has almost become barren.

The protesters, from all age groups, participated in the march, holding banners to remind the government of its promise to develop the lake.

“We want to show the authorities that we care about the lake and impress upon them the need to expedite the restoration work,” said Naresh Vedagiri, a resident of Lal Bahadur Shastri Nagar, a participant in the march.

The march also aimed to announce the formation of the Vibhutipura Kere Abhivruddhi Mattu Samrakshana Samiti (ViKAS).

The walkathon converged at the Vibhutipura Mutt school where a public meeting was held.
The protesters submitted a petition with over 500 signatures seeking speedy restoration of the lake. KR Puram legislator N Nandeesh Reddy and corporator Geeta Vivekananda were present on the occasion.

The legislator told the gathering that the contract for the restoration work had already been awarded last month and the chief minister would launch the restoration work by the end of next month.