Proposal to denotify lakes dropped, CM tells Governor

The state government has dropped its proposal to “denotify” lakes that have completely lost their original character.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in a letter to Governor Vajubhai Vala has stated that the state government is neither pursuing or intending to change any rule or law to extinguish the right of people on lakes.

Siddaramaiah was responding to clarifications sought by Vala following several organisations petitioning the Raj Bhavan expressing concern over the government’s proposed move.

In his letter, Siddaramaiah stated that the government had been examining a proposal to amend section 68 of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964 to curtail the right of public and individuals for lakes which have lost its character completely and cannot be rejuvenated.

“The draft amendment had been sent to various departments for their opinion and views. After examining the views of the departments, it has been decided to drop the proposal,” Siddaramaiah stated in the letter.

The letter states that the government is committed for the welfare and conservation of lakes for the current and future generation.