District officials removed encroachments from numerous places – including a lake – in and around the city on Saturday. They recovered a total of 25.2 acres of encroached land worth Rs. 82 crore during simultaneous raids in several parts of Bengaluru North and Anekal taluks.
Among the encroachments were a temple and a 12-feet-high statue of a deity in Haragadde village in Anekal taluk. Facing protests, a series of rituals were conducted to facilitate shifting of the statue to another temple. Later, the temple on encroached land was demolished.
Twenty small houses abutting Allalasandra lake in Yelahanka New Town were razed. In October 2014, nearly four acres of the 44-acre lake bed was recovered from encroachers.
