Residents of Ullal, shocked to see dead fish floating at the Dubasipalya lake on Sunday, are attributing this to sewage being let into the lake. “We have apprised the local councillor and MLA of this several times. However, no action has been taken so far,” a resident claimed.
T. Murthy, State president of Ambedkar Sene and a local resident, claimed that the stench around the lake has become unbearable.
“There are schools, a hospital, and many houses near the lake. The stench is affecting all of us. The lake has not seen any development nor has it been cleaned,” he alleged, adding that ₹4.5 crore sanctioned for the development of the lake had not been utilised. He also charged that the authorities concerned were not taking any action to ensure sewage is not let into the lake.
S.T. Somashekhar, MLA for Yeshwantpur, however, disagreed and said that the Bangalore Development Authority had developed the 16-acre lake and constructed a walkway around it.
“Around six acres has been encroached. The High Court has issued a stay in the case,” he said.
Mr. Somashekhar also said the officials concerned have already inspected the lake following the fishkill and collected samples.
“After the heavy rains, there were some problems when the raja kaluve overflowed. However, after work on the big storm-water drain is completed, there will not be any sewage flowing into the lake,” he said.
He added that with elections round the corner, some people with vested interests were making false accusations.
