Around six acres of land on the Chikkalasandra lake bed was recovered from encroachers in Padmanabhanagar by the Bengaluru Urban district administration here on Friday, amidst protests and sloganeering from residents.
In an early morning operation, the district administration, along with personnel from the Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF) and local police, began the demolition drive to recover the encroached tank bed of the Chikkalasandra Lake. Around 10 earthmovers were used to raze the illegal constructions. This affected vehicular movement on the Chikkalasandra Main Road for a while.
The entire lake bed measuring 12 acres and 26 guntas in survey number 76 of Chikkalasandra village has been encroached. Several permanent structures, including temples, schools and playgrounds, have come up on the encroached land. Officials of the district administration said that the six acres that were recovered are worth over Rs. 700 crore.
Tahsildar B.V. Dayanand said that he would apprise the Deputy Commissioner (Bengaluru Urban) about the buildings that have come up on the lake bed. The BBMP will be asked to fence the recovered area.
The locals protested against the demolition of their shops and homes, and raised slogans. A few even blocked the Deputy Commissioner’s car, when he visited the spot. The police personnel who were present in large numbers dragged them away.
Venkataswamy, a local resident who was accompanied by his lawyer, claimed that he owned three acres of land that he had bought in 1979 and termed the operation as being unjust. However, a few other residents recollected a time when the lake was once full.
