Houses encroaching on Sowlkere Lake razed to ground

  The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Wednesday cleared encroachment on the Sowlkere Lake, Sarjapura Road, by demolishing 56 houses worth Rs 50 crore.

The extent of the lake is 61 acres and 37 guntas, of which, three acres and 10 guntas had been encroached upon. The BBMP officers had surveyed the extent of the lake, identified its boundaries and served notices on the encroachers, through the tahsildar. However, those who have constructed houses on the lakebed illegally, have not vacated the place.

Following directions by BBMP Commissioner Siddaiah, the Palike officers carried out the eviction drive with the help of the Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF).

90 acres cleared

The total extent of encroachment of the 55 lakes that come under the BBMP’s jurisdiction is about 150 acres, of which, 90 acres have been cleared.

The Palike has decided to intensify the eviction drive to free other lakes from encroachment.

R S Krishna, a local resident, said the eviction was totally unfair as the houses that were supposed to be provided by the Karnataka Slum Development Board (KSDB) were not ready for occupancy.

“The affected people were told that their quarters were ready for accommodation, while the reality is that the KSDB has done a shoddy job in construction. The quarters do not have water connections and several flats do not have proper doors and windows,” Krishna added.