<p>The Karnataka High Court has directed the chief secretary to constitute a committee within three weeks comprising a representative of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), the deputy commissioner, Bengaluru Urban, the Tank Development Authority and other stakeholders to ensure clearing the encroachment and further protection and management of Sarakki lake at JP Nagar.</p>.<p>A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C M Poonacha, passed this order while disposing of the PIL filed by Sarakki Lake Improvement Trust.</p>.GBA chief vows to make Indira Canteens more attractive in Bengaluru.<p>“The Committee shall oversee and ensure the relevant statutory authorities initiate necessary action as per the relevant statute to notify the person/s and/or entities, who have put up construction/s in the buffer zone to take further action in accordance with law for the purposes of clearing/removing the said encroachments as also other measures to preserve and protect the Lake in question; The Committee through its Nodal Officer shall send a report to this Court within three months as to the action taken for clearances of the unauthorized constructions as well as other actions/measures taken by it,” the bench said.</p>.<p>Sarakki Lake is located in Puttenahalli between the 6th and 7th phases of JP Nagar, spread over 82.19 acres with a catchment area of 5.65 sqkm.</p>.<p>The petitioners stated that pursuant to the orders of the high court, in an earlier PIL, certain encroachments were cleared. However, the fencing of the lake boundary was incomplete, and in the interregnum, the construction of a residential apartment was undertaken in violation of the Master Plan – 2015.</p>.<p>After perusing the statements filed by the parties involved, the bench noted that the entity carrying out the construction claimed that the BBMP had granted the sanctioned plan, the civic agency, in its affidavit, stated that the sanctioned land is subject to the condition of the buffer zone of 30 metres being retained from the physical boundary of the lake.</p>.<p>The bench said that the authorities were required to clear encroachments in the buffer zone of the lake, fence the lake area and fence the buffer zone, which had not been complied with.</p>.<p>“Over the passage of time, various authorities have been named to be the custodian of the lake, and the state has constituted various authorities, like the authorities under the Tank Conservation Act, etc., to preserve and protect the Lake. Hence, it is expedient that the state appoint a committee constituting the necessary stakeholders for the purpose of taking the necessary steps in accordance with law for compliance with the orders passed in the earlier writ petition as well as in the present proceedings,” the bench <br />said. </p>
<p>The Karnataka High Court has directed the chief secretary to constitute a committee within three weeks comprising a representative of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), the deputy commissioner, Bengaluru Urban, the Tank Development Authority and other stakeholders to ensure clearing the encroachment and further protection and management of Sarakki lake at JP Nagar.</p>.<p>A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C M Poonacha, passed this order while disposing of the PIL filed by Sarakki Lake Improvement Trust.</p>.GBA chief vows to make Indira Canteens more attractive in Bengaluru.<p>“The Committee shall oversee and ensure the relevant statutory authorities initiate necessary action as per the relevant statute to notify the person/s and/or entities, who have put up construction/s in the buffer zone to take further action in accordance with law for the purposes of clearing/removing the said encroachments as also other measures to preserve and protect the Lake in question; The Committee through its Nodal Officer shall send a report to this Court within three months as to the action taken for clearances of the unauthorized constructions as well as other actions/measures taken by it,” the bench said.</p>.<p>Sarakki Lake is located in Puttenahalli between the 6th and 7th phases of JP Nagar, spread over 82.19 acres with a catchment area of 5.65 sqkm.</p>.<p>The petitioners stated that pursuant to the orders of the high court, in an earlier PIL, certain encroachments were cleared. However, the fencing of the lake boundary was incomplete, and in the interregnum, the construction of a residential apartment was undertaken in violation of the Master Plan – 2015.</p>.<p>After perusing the statements filed by the parties involved, the bench noted that the entity carrying out the construction claimed that the BBMP had granted the sanctioned plan, the civic agency, in its affidavit, stated that the sanctioned land is subject to the condition of the buffer zone of 30 metres being retained from the physical boundary of the lake.</p>.<p>The bench said that the authorities were required to clear encroachments in the buffer zone of the lake, fence the lake area and fence the buffer zone, which had not been complied with.</p>.<p>“Over the passage of time, various authorities have been named to be the custodian of the lake, and the state has constituted various authorities, like the authorities under the Tank Conservation Act, etc., to preserve and protect the Lake. Hence, it is expedient that the state appoint a committee constituting the necessary stakeholders for the purpose of taking the necessary steps in accordance with law for compliance with the orders passed in the earlier writ petition as well as in the present proceedings,” the bench <br />said. </p>