The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : ‘Master plan needed for lake development’

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Sunday, Jul 05, 2009
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

‘Master plan needed for lake development’

Staff Reporter

LDA must seek assistance from agencies such as World Bank, ADB: ex-Additional Chief Secretary

Rs. 300 crore earmarked by Government to develop 33 lakes ‘inadequate’
‘The master plan can only be developed with consultation of organisations’

Bangalore: The Lake Development Authority (LDA) must prepare a master plan for development of lakes in the Bangalore metropolitan area, a project that would require “enormous funds” to the tune of Rs. 25,000 crore, according to V. Balasubramanian, former Additional Chief Secretary.

LDA must seek assistance from agencies such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, and the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission could be made use of for the project, Mr. Balasubramanian said at a workshop on “How to save lakes of Bangalore” here on Saturday. The workshop was organised by the Bangalore Environment Trust (BET) and Arghyam, a non-profit organisation founded by philanthropist Rohini Nilekani.

Mr. Balasubramanian, also member of BET, said that the Rs. 300 crore earmarked by the State Government to develop 33 lakes (a project to be undertaken by the Bangalore Development Authority and the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike) was “inadequate”. “The master plan can only be developed with consultation of organisations like BET and Arghyam. These consultants should be selected through a global tender.”

‘Shirking duty’

He said that the LDA, presently registered under the Societies Act, must be converted into a statutory body endowed with legal authority to enable development schemes and also empowered to prosecute encroachers. “LDA should be headed by an officer of the rank of Additional Chief Secretary with a governing council of 50 people, consisting heads of civic bodies and leading environmentalists.”

The many government departments and statutory bodies that have legal powers to protect lake, including the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, Revenue Department, BBMP, BDA and BWSSB “are shirking their responsibility,” Mr. Balasubramanian said.

Conversion

K.V. Narendra, Director of the Centre for Science and Technology illustrated how the city’s lakes had fallen prey to infrastructure projects, residential complexes and markets.

“City administrators consider lake-beds to be ‘free land’ and 56 lakes have been fully or partially converted by the BDA and Karnataka Housing Board into housing colonies.”

The government had also permitted projects such as the NICE Road, where three lakes were destroyed, bus depots and crematoria, Mr. Narendra added.

Director of BET and Infotech Pvt. Ltd., S. Prabhala, environmentalist Zafar Futehally and Arghyam adviser Ravi Narayanan also spoke.

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