BMRCL wants 3,340 sq mt of Nagawara Lake to build airport metro

The BMRCL is seeking to acquire 3,340 square metres of land which is part of the Nagawara Lake to build the airport metro line.

The move comes at a time when activists are struggling to wrestle back 46 acres from the government cut off from the lake area via an “erroneous” order.

In 2019, the Urban Development Department issued an order directing the BDA and Forest Department to hand over 38 lakes. The forest department has since warned the government that the “erroneous” order has shrunk the Nagawara lake from 103 acres and 3 guntas to 56 acres and 17 guntas.

“The 46 acre and 17 gunta was acquired in 1932 to accommodate the high inflow of water. However, the Revenue Department has not created RTC for the same. The Forest Department has sought a revised order. However, the file has not been processed for more than a year,” a forest officer told DH.

The lack of clarity on the extent of the lake and the confusion over its custodian has worried activists that 46.5-acre wetland will be encroached by different agencies. “As of now, the lake is an orphan,” a forest official said.

On Wednesday, officials of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) and the Karnataka Tank Conservation and Development Authority (KTCDA) conducted a joint survey on the southern boundary of the lake adjoining the Outer Ring Road.

“The BMRCL sought about 3,340 square metres of the lake land for erecting pillars and constructing the metro station. However, after the survey, the KTCDA has sought a revised proposal by reducing the extent of the land to 1,714 square metres for constructing piers and a bus bay, which will be part of the metro station,” said a source who took part in the survey.

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A BMRCL official sought to reassure that the construction activity will not take place on the lakebed but on the bund. “A walking path and other structures have already come up on the bund. Metro construction will be carried out by ensuring that lake is not affected,” he said.

Recently, a panel headed by former Speaker K G Bopaiah probing encroachments has written to forest and urban development departments to resolve the issue over custody.

“From the BBMP, we have expressed concerns over the encroachment on the lake land or the buffer zone and sought removal of the same before the waterbodies are handed over to us,” a senior official said.

Meanwhile, Rakesh Singh, Additional Chief Secretary, Urban Development Department, is preparing to hold a meeting in the next two days on Hebbal and Nagawara lakes.