Nov. 25 deadline for clearing lake encroachment

• Total lakes under BBMP jurisdiction: 201
• Encroachment in 159 lakes
• Total encroachmentclearance of 851 acres pending

Action against officials if action is not taken as per High Court directive: BBMP

Nov. 25 deadline for clearing lake encroachment

Kere Manjunath ಕೆರೆ ಮಂಜುನಾಥ್ 

Bengaluru: BBMP has given another deadline for clearing encroachment of lakes in the city. It has warned that disciplinary action will be taken against the concerned officials if encroachment is not cleared by November 25.

The Special Commissioner of the Administrative Division issued a ‘Letter of Information’ to all the executive engineers under BBMP jurisdiction on November 13, asking them to completely clear the encroachment of lakes under their jurisdiction. They have been instructed to submit a report by November 27.

The state government, which had been objected to several times by the High Court, had issued an order on August 28, 2023, deputing officers for the protection of lakes and primary-secondary royal canals and clearing encroachments, specifying their responsibilities.

The BBMP had also submitted an action plan to the High Court through an affidavit stating that the encroachments of the lakes would be cleared within a time frame. Accordingly, it had started a 16-week action plan to clear encroachments in 159 lakes from the first week of September 2023. The encroachment clearance work of the first week of lakes was to be completed in 70 days.

The 16-week action plan process was completed by the end of December, and even if calculated from that period, the encroachments of all the lakes were to be cleared by mid-March 2024. However, due to the negligence of the BBMP officials, the encroachment clearance operation has not yet begun.

‘As per the directions of the High Court and as per the action plan for clearing encroachments of lakes, the work of measuring, surveying and identifying encroachments of the lake should have been done. The Chief Commissioner expressed dissatisfaction in the meeting held on October 25, 2024 that no action has been taken so far. Therefore, the encroachment work of all lakes should be completed by November 25. Disciplinary action will be taken against the failed officers as per the Karnataka Civil Service Rules (Conduct, Classification and Appeals) and the Karnataka Municipality Act,’ the Special Commissioner of the Administrative Division has warned all the executive engineers.

BBMP takes over 7 acres worth ₹242.5 crore: Preeti Gehlot

13 lakes Encroachment cleared

Bengaluru: Encroachment has been cleared in 13 lakes on November 30th under BBMP jurisdiction, and seven acres of land has been taken over.

As per the High Court order, survey and clearance work is underway to clear encroachment of lakes under the jurisdiction of the corporation, said Preeti Gehlot, Special Commissioner of Forest, Environment and Climate Change Management.

Out of the 202 lakes under the jurisdiction of the corporation, the survey work of 162 lakes has been completed, out of which 49 lakes are free from encroachment. There is government encroachment in 23 lakes, and steps are being taken to clear the encroachments in coordination with the zones, she informed.

Encroachment clearance operations have been carried out in 13 lakes in four zones of the corporation, and a total of 7 acres 3 guntes of encroached area worth ₹242.5 crore have been cleared and steps have been taken to install wire fencing.

Mahadevapura Zone: 2 acres 6 guntes of Doddanekundi Lake have been cleared of encroachment and steps have been taken to install wire fencing. An 8 guntes area that was encroached on in Vibhutipur Lake has been cleared.

East Zone: A shed on 2.5 guntes of land in Kaggadasapura Lake has been cleared and a wire fence is being installed on 22.5 guntes of empty land.

Bommanahalli Zone: 30 guntes of empty land in Konanakunte Lake have been taken possession of and a wire fence has been installed. 12 guntes of Arekere Lake and 28 guntes of Subbarayana Lake have been cleared. 

Yelahanka Zone: Preeti Gehlot informed that a total of 2 acres and 14 guntes of encroachment area in seven lakes including 2 guntes in Avalahalli Lake, 24 guntes in Yelahanka Lake, 8 guntes in Medi Agrahara Lake, 4 guntes in Agrahara Lake, 1.50 guntes in Kattigenahalli Lake, 25 guntes in Narasipur Lake, and 29.50 guntes in Singapore Lake have been cleared. 

Disciplinary Action: The Special Commissioner of the Administrative Division had issued a ‘Letter of Information’ to all the Executive Engineers under the BBMP jurisdiction on November 13, warning that disciplinary action would be taken against the concerned officers if the encroachment of the lakes under their jurisdiction was not cleared by November 25. He had also directed that a report should be submitted by November 27.

In the encroachment clearance action plan submitted to the High Court, the BBMP had stated that a total of 851 acres of encroachment clearance is pending in the lakes under its jurisdiction.