JOIN USIt's official now: This lake is a water body
In a move that might put the smile back on greens’ face, the Subramanyapura Lake has now been officially declared a lake. Strangely, the water body was being shown as gomala (pasture) land in government records for more than a century.
An order to this effect was passed by the Deputy Commissioner (Bangalore Urban Revenue district) Dr G C Prakash on February 26, declaring the lake a water body.
The welcome rectification in the government records came amid rumours that the water body would be levelled to pave way for a Traffic and Transit Management Centre of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC).
Deccan Herald had reported about the poor state of the water body due to illegal dumping of waste. The report prompted the Environment Support Group (ESG), which had filed a public interest litigation in connection with the garbage crisis in the City, to bring the matter to the notice of the court.
The anomalies in the records came to light on January 10, when BBMP Commissioner Siddaiah convened a meeting of all the stakeholders such as the Bangalore Urban deputy commissioner, Bangalore Development Authority, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, Slum Development Board, Lake Development Authority and the Karnataka Pollution Control Board.
At the meeting, the revenue officers said the lake remained a gomala land in government records, which needed to be rectified.
Siddaiah also drew the attention of the Karnataka High Court which was hearing the Subramanyapura Lake case ever since the garbage mafia started dumping waste into it, to the anomalies in the records.
The Revenue department has also brought out a new survey map of the lake after the BBMP and the BDA Lake Division officers pointed out flaws in the previous map. The new map shows the extent of the lake and the adjoining areas as 25 acres and six guntas as against the previous 18 acres and six guntas.
It also depicts the extent of the water body as 22 acres, including 11 acres of encroachment. The rest three acres and 20 guntas are road and other vacant land. The new map also shows the inlet of a stormwater drain as a part of the lake, which was missing in the old map.