Encroachment not identified in 77 lakes

 District administration neglects survey, boundary marking work; High Court order ignored

Encroachment not identified in 77 lakes

Kere Manjunath ಕೆರೆ ಮಂಜುನಾಥ್ 

Bengaluru: Although the High Court issued three orders in 2023 to identify and clear encroachment of lakes under BBMP jurisdiction, the district administration has not completed the survey work. Although encroachment has been identified in some lakes, no ‘marking’ has been done at the site.

The Revenue Department should identify the encroachment of lakes and provide the BBMP with documents and recommendations that it can be cleared. The Executive Engineer of the Lakes Division of BBMP, approved by the government, should issue an encroachment clearance order and also carry out the clearance operation. But this work has not been expedited.

The High Court has directed the clearance of encroachment of lakes on July 21, August 1, and September 4, 2023. BBMP had also submitted an action plan for the clearance operation. If it had been implemented accordingly, it would have taken a year for all the encroachments on the lakes to be cleared. However, so far only 28 lakes have been cleared of encroachments. Since 29 lakes are encroached by government departments, BBMP officials have considered them to be ‘encroachment-free’.

Since 2023, the BBMP Chief Commissioner has been holding meetings and instructing the District Collector, Tahsildar, Land Survey, Revenue System and Land Records Department Commissioners to conduct a survey of the area of ​​the lakes and identify the encroachments and boundaries. However, the survey work is not being done.

BBMP Special Commissioner for Forest, Environment and Climate Change Management Preeti Gehlot, who has written a letter (VA/APAHAY/PR/2825) to the City District Collector on December 23, 2024, requesting the ‘encroachment survey work and demarcation of boundaries of lakes under BBMP jurisdiction’, has violated the previous meeting and the High Court instructions. She has also written a letter (VA/APAHAY/PR/2552) to the Commissioner of Land Survey Department, requesting to conduct a survey of the lakes.

A large number of lakes are encroached in Dakshina taluk, and to conduct their survey, she has written a separate letter (VA/APAHAY/PR/2826) to the Assistant Director of Land Records (Dakshina) of the City District, asking him to expedite the slow survey work. A report has to be submitted to the court, and in three letters, she has requested to complete the survey work and demarcation of encroachments as soon as possible. However, the survey work has not picked up speed.

‘Clearance is not possible without marking’

‘Even if the lakes are surveyed and the encroachment is identified on the map, it is not possible to clear them. Clearance operations can only be carried out after marking the place. Despite several requests for marking, no action has been taken,’ said BBMP engineers.

‘The survey work of almost all the lakes has been completed. BBMP should take all necessary steps,’ said Manjunath, Commissioner of the Department of Land Survey, Revenue System and Land Records. City Deputy Commissioner Jagadish did not respond to a call to comment on this.

202 Lakes under BBMP jurisdiction

19 Lakes that have been destroyed

183 Living lakes

105 Lakes surveyed with additional identification

62 Lakes pending encroachment identification

16 Lakes pending survey

29; Encroachment by government departments in lakes

92; Government and private encroachment in lakes

17; Private encroachment in lakes

28; Lakes free from encroachment

Lakes to be surveyed and identified as encroached

37; South Taluk

27; East Taluk

7; North Taluk

4; Yelahanka Taluk

1; Anekal Taluk

1; CTS Survey Department (Sanki Lake)

Lakes Survey done with Marking

South Taluk: Chowdeshwari Lake, Subedaranakere,Basapura Lake-2,Konappana Agrahara lake, Gubbalalu Lake, Kembathahalli lake, Yelenahalli Lake, Kammanahalli Lake (Meenakshi Lake), Gottigere, Basavanapura Lake, Subbarayana lake, Konankunte Lake, Arekere lake, Singasandra lake, Kodige Singasandra Lake,

Sarakki Lake, Haralukunte (somasundarapalaya lake) Busegowdana lake, Hosakerehalli lake, Jogi kere, Sompura Lake, Bheemana Katte,

Dubasipalya lake (Valagerahalli), Chikkabasthi lake, Lingadeeranahalli (handrahalli) Lake, Thalaghattapura Lake, Konasandra Lake,

Mylasandra (Sunnakallu palya) lake, Bayyapanapalya Kunte, Kenchanapura, Byrasandra lake / Chikkapete lake, Deepanjali lake,Gowdana Palya Lake, Mesthripalya lake & Nayandahalli lake.