Forest dept hands over three lakes to BBMP

Bengaluru: The Forest Department has handed over the custody of three lakes — Madiwala, Nagawara and Hebbal — to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). An order effecting this change was issued by the Urban Development Department (UDD) last week.

With this, the BBMP will be responsible for the upkeep of 205 lakes in the city.

While, the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) will continue to maintain Bellandur and Varthur lakes, the custody of Puttenahalli lake (Yelahanka) has been retained with the Forest Department due to the ongoing public interest litigation.

In August 2019, the BDA handed over two lakes to the BBMP (Garudacharpalya and Byrasandra), and in December 2019, the authority handed over 28 lakes to the civic body. 

In the order issued by the UDD, it has stated that the BBMP cannot hand over the responsibility of these lakes to any private agency and the civic body is barred from undertaking commercial activities in these waterbodies. The government has also directed the BBMP to ensure the lake is protected. 

These lakes were transferred to the BBMP after Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath requested for the same in June this year.