Lake survey panics Hebbal residents

Residents of three housing layouts near Hebbal lake, north Bengaluru, panicked on Wednesday when a team of the Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority (KLCDA) started demarcating the buffer zone of the waterbody as per the National Green Tribunal (NGT) guidelines.

As the three-member team started measuring the buffer zone and put some markings on the road in Bhadrappa Layout, Hebbal Sarovara Layout and Balaji Layout, panicked residents rushed out of their homes and began making enquiries about the visit. The officials gave them a terse reply: they were just following the instruction of their superiors to identify buildings within the lake’s buffer zone.

Kiran Kumar, a resident of Hebbal Sarovara Layout, said the “sudden” development had baffled residents, especially senior citizens, of the three localities.

“Multiple agencies are doing multiple things. While the BBMP is razing buildings on stormwater drains, the KLCDA is demarcating the buffer zone of the lake. There is panic across the city. If the government agencies want to remove encroachments from drains and lakes, half of Bengaluru will go away,” said Kumar who appeared upset. He insisted that the NGT ruling on buffer zone was prospective, not retrospective.

Other residents were equally upset. They told the officials that the NGT was prospective, so their action was unwarranted. The officials had another terse reply: meet senior officials in the KLCDA at its Church Street office.

When contacted, an engineer who was part of the survey team said the Legislature Committee on Lake Encroachment had directed the KLCDA to identify buildings within the buffer zone of Hebbal Lake, as stipulated in the NGT ruling. “We are only obeying the instruction of our superiors,” he said.