Three months after a protest against the proposed construction of an 80 feet road cutting through the Pattandur Agrahara lake in Kadugodi, residents of the neighbourhood were aghast to see machines chopping down trees surrounding the lake on Tuesday morning.
Residents alleged that around 40 trees were cut to make way for the road project, being executed by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).
They are worried that the 80 feet road connecting Whitefield Main Road to ECC Road will not only be built on the lake bed, but will also affect some of the existing properties, including schools and an orphanage.
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“There is no mention of the road in Revised Draft Master Plan 2031 and it seems that the BBMP is rushing the work before the draft is finalised. There are other arterial roads connecting Whitefield Main Road to ECC Road, and this new road is unnecessary,” said Sandeep Anirudhan, a resident of Whitefield.
Another resident said that the authorities had assured them that the project would be stalled. “None of us were given any notice. Many trees have been cut,” said the resident.
S. Muniswamy, Kadugodi ward councillor, claimed that the site where the trees have been cut is a private property. “The road is 300 feet (91 metres) from the lake,” he said.
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The problem started in October last year when residents woke up to find tonnes of debris dumped into the lake. At the time, they had launched a silent protest asking the Bangalore Development Authority to resurvey, mark the boundary and fence the lake.
“We were promised that the lake will be protected,” residents said.