JOIN USThe Karnataka Lokayukta has initiated action against people who have encroached upon the Chikka Kallasandra lake located on 18th Main Road of Padmanabha Nagar in Uttarahalli hobli.
Based on a complaint by Citizen Action Forum (CAF), a federation of 150 Residents’ Welfare Associations, Upa Lokayukta Justice Subhash B Adi has issued notices to Bangalore Urban deputy commissioner, the BBMP commissioner, the chief engineer of BBMP (lake division) and Bangalore South tahsildar asking them to submit details of the action taken by October 16.
CAF Secretary, Mahalakshmi Parthasarathi, had lodged a complaint around a week ago that some influential people had encroached upon the lake. She also produced all the revenue records, such as the Records of Rights, Tenancy and Crops (RTC), Tippani (revenue notes), besides a survey sketch prepared by the Bangalore Urban district authorities to show that Survey Number 76 was a lakebed.
Parthasarathi also alleged that Revenue officers should have protected the lake from encroachment but chose to look the other way. She produced a list of 48 lake land encroachers, which the Forest department had prepared after conducting a survey of the lake. She added that although government authorities knew the names of land-grabbers, they did not initiate criminal proceedings against them.
Justice Adi noted in the notice: “As such, the authorities, who have been asked to look into and take action within time bound period, must show the effective action taken, as otherwise, it would be treated that, there is a reason to believe that the authorities are colluding with vested interests particularly in case of encroachment of the government property, which are situated within the BBMP limits and its outside. These properties are not only most valuable from the point of environment and public interest, but are necessary for ecology for future generations.”