Fresh attempt to encroach upon Chikka Kallasandra lake land

Earthmovers have landed once again on the Chikka Kallasandra lake land in Padmanabhanagar in southern Bengaluru, in what is suspected to be a fresh attempt by property sharks to encroach upon the precious land.

The lake exists only in government records as it has lost all its features, thanks to the callous attitude of the Bengaluru Urban district administration and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). Deccan Herald had carried a detailed report in this regard in August 2013.

The report did wake up the district authorities from their slumber, who then carried an extensive encroachment removal drive to reclaim the lake land. Barely a month after the eviction drive, however, land sharks once again put up a fence, prompting the BBMP, the lake’s custodian, to lodge a complaint at the Subramanyapura police station.

While police sat on the complaint without investigating the matter or tracing the culprits, the emboldened land-grabbers have now resorted to certain suspicious activity, indicating that construction would begin there anytime soon. A signboard put up by the BBMP has been torn and roadside eateries have come up on the lake land.

Residents were hesitant to speak to Deccan Herald on record. On the condition of anonymity, a trader said some people had built shanties there.

The Assistant Commissioner of Bengaluru Urban district, L C Nagaraj, put the blame on “blunders” committed by revenue officers following the demolition drive, saying it made the restoration of lake extremely difficult. He said he would visit the place on Friday to take stock of the situation.

A senior official in the BBMP Lake Division claimed that the police had done “nothing” to identify the land-grabbers even a year after the Palike lodged a complaint. The Assistant Commissioner of Police (Banashankari subdivision), however, said he had “no knowledge” about the BBMP’s complaint and asked a Deccan Herald reporter to convey to the Palike officers to approach him and find a way to deal with the land-grabbers.