Bengaluru: As the government seeks to enumerate encroachments on lakes, including those that have completely given way to concrete over the years, a significant number of crucial utilities and services have turned out to be ‘encroachers’.
Stadiums, parks, roads, temples, cemeteries, waste processing units, private farm lands and apartment complexes, defence and large research institutions have come up on tank bed land, shows the detailed list of encroachments published by the Joint Committee on tank bed encroachment.
Paving over tank bed
Among the encroachments by government enterprises, roads seem to be the most significant. Roads, including in private properties and BDA layouts, comprise nearly 577.05 acres of all lake bed encroachments. The Hindu ’s analysis of the 356-page encroachment report, which details encroachment in 34 hoblis of Bengaluru Rural and Urban districts, shows that nearly 681 stretches of road fall in tank bed land.
This includes 22.4 acres of National Highways (19 stretches). For instance, National Highway 48 is listed as encroaching 12 acres in Bengaluru Urban and Rural taluks. NICE Road has encroached 19 acres and the Outer Ring Road at least 17.65 acres, primarily near K.R. Puram. Similarly, railway lines or stations have encroached 20.27 acres.
While many of the large infrastructure projects came up on land allotted by the State government, the Joint Committee has sought an explanation from Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) for layouts and roads developed on lake beds.
Utilities
The report shows that the electricity board, government housing schemes, drains, even police stations and fire stations (over 3.5 acres), community halls and panchayat offices have come up on erstwhile lakes.
While the Joint Committee is tight-lipped on the possible recommendations in their report, members say that a differentiation has to be made over public utilities set up decades ago and recent wilful encroachments.
In central Bengaluru, lakes have given way to colleges
According to the report, educational institutions (schools, anganwadis and colleges) have come up over 147 acres of tank beds. The report lists 66 encroachments. Of these, 95 per cent are ‘private colleges’.
The maximum is in central Bengaluru where erstwhile lakes such as Millers Tank and the one in K.G. Halli have given way to colleges. According to the report, in Kasaba hobli of North Bengaluru taluk, which covers an area from Neelasandra to Nagawara, private colleges and educational trusts have come up on nearly 80 acres of ‘tank beds’.
What also becomes clear is the role of the government in draining lakes and allotting them to research institutes. Over the decades, 528.44 acres have been allotted to 16 major research institutes – a majority of which have come up near Hessarghatta. Those listed include Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Indian Space Research Organisation, Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Rural Energy & Development, as well as fodder research and development institutes.
Hospitals and PHCs
A number of hospitals have also been listed in the report. Government hospitals, primary health care centres and private hospitals have been built on over 22 acres of lake land in Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts.
Private encroachments on 7,185 acres
Through the entire exercise of finding encroachments in tank beds, it is clear that individuals are particularly under the scanner. According to the report, 11,595 individuals, organisations and companies have ‘encroached’ over 7,185 acres of lake land. Nearly 6,000 of those accused of encroachment have responded to the notices sent on behalf of the Joint Committee.
A cursory look reveals that a majority of the encroachments are categorised as farmland and plantations. For instance, in Bengaluru Urban district (five taluks, including Anekal), nearly 60 per cent of the ‘encroachments’ (around 1,220 acres) are farmland.
However, the point to ponder for the committee, say experts, is the large number of houses, layouts, slums and apartments. In Bengaluru Urban, these constitute nearly a third (around 700 acres) of encroachments. These include portions of apartments, major layouts such as Dollar’s Colony and slums, among others.
The report also reveals the setting up of stone quarries and brick kilns on lake land where clay is abundant. In Bengaluru Urban district, nearly 13 acres has been ‘encroached upon’ by such factories. In the lakes off Ballari road on the outskirts of the city, nearly seven acres of tanks have become brick kilns.
Government encroachments
Roads, schools, hospitals, research institutes, plantations, layouts, police stations, bus stands, government officies
Roads (public and private): 577 acres
National Highway: 22.4 acres
NICE Road: 19 acres
Railway: 20.27 acres
Civic bodies (BDA, BBMP): 542 acres
Forest Department: 581.15 acres
Private encroachments
Farmlands, layouts, individual houses and apartments, brick kilns
Farmland: 1,220 acres
Buildings: 747.4 acres
Slums: 48.12 acres
Quarries and kilns: 13 acres
Source: Detailed report by Joint Committee on Tank Encroachment. Analysis by The Hindu based on the category mentioned in the report
