‘Committees are formed to bury the matter’

As another committee gains progress in determining lake encroachment, there is discernable tiredness from a former legislator and a retired bureaucrat, both of whom spent over two-and-a-half years mulling over what to do with encroachments.

It was a decade ago that the first report by A.T. Ramaswamy, former MLA, on encroachments of government land, including lakes and tank beds, surfaced.

The final report submitted a year later led to the formation of a task force, led by the former IAS officer V. Balasubramanian, to elucidate the implementation of the recommendations. In 2011, this report was submitted, and has since gathered dust.

While the two reports look at the larger issue of encroachments on government land, over 2,000 acres of encroached tank bed — based on submissions by revenue officials — were noted in Bengaluru Urban district.

“Committees have been formed. This is only to bury the issue and ensure no action is taken. If encroachments were removed in 2006 and strong punitive action taken against encroachers, we would not have seen such a loss of lake land,” says Mr. Ramaswamy.

The report had suggested a special court to investigate and deal with encroachers.

Echoing similar sentiments, Mr. Balasubramanian said that there was “absolutely no hope” of seeing the recommendations of the task force enforced.

“Presidential assent for the Karnataka Land Grabbers' (Prevention) Bill came only last year; and there is no sign of rules being framed or it being implemented…when politicians themselves are landgrabbers, can there be action?” he asked.

While both agree on the need for stringent criminal action against developers, encroachers and officials who have allowed illegal conversion of lake land, they differ on the action to be taken against those who have eventually purchased these plots unknowingly.

Mr. Ramaswamy believed land losers should be compensated and rehabilitated by the government; while, Mr. Balasubramanian says plot owners should be encouraged to seek monetary reprieve in the courts against developers and even the Bangalore Development Authority for having sold them the land.