The 36-acre Kempambudi lake, believed to have been commissioned by Kempe Gowda himself, will be developed into a tourist hub, said Mayor D. Venkatesh Murthy.
He inspected the lake along with Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner M.K. Shankarlinge Gowda on Wednesday. Area residents told the Mayor the lake, overrun by weeds, is now a repository for sewage and garbage, and the resultant stench is unbearable.
August deadline
Mr. Murthy directed officials to ensure that the lake is rejuvenated and developed by August. Prior to that, they were tasked with clearing it of silt and weeds before the onset of monsoon in June.
“Once the lake gets filled with rain water, the BBMP will introduce boating. The area around it will be beautified and various entertainment facilities will be available,” the Mayor said.
Commissioner Gowda said efforts were afoot to clear the lake of encroachments.
When it was pointed out that a temple was being constructed on an encroached portion, he said around five acres had been encroached upon.
Flooding of temple
To prevent flooding of the drain near the Gali Anjaneya Swamy temple on Mysore Road, he said outflow from the lake would be regulated to prevent flooding. A sewage treatment plant would be installed at the lake.
About the rain preparedness, the Commissioner said with the city receiving heavy rainfall on Tuesday night, control rooms had been directed to be on alert.
Officials had also been asked to remove silt from roadside and secondary drains so that rain water can flow unhindered.
MLC Ashwath Narayan, Basavanagudi MLA L.V. Ravi Subramanya and BBMP councillors P.N. Sadashiva, B.V. Ganesh and T.V. Krishna were present.
