Members of the legislative assembly committee to report on the encroachment of lakes in the city were confronted on Wednesday by numerous residents demanding that their houses be left untouched.
At the Kowdenahalli Lake for instance, the committee reported that nearly 34.25 acres of the 55.125-acre extent of the lake bed, had been encroached upon. Nearly 10.5 acres of the ‘encroached land’ was taken by a private college, which has gone to court after it received a eviction notice, K.B. Koliwad, chairman of the 11-member committee told reporters after the visits.
Similarly, a government primary school had come up over 1.6 acres, an illegal layout with more than 700 houses spread over 17.375 acres, and a 120-house slum spread over 1.25 acres, said Mr. Koliwad. The residents there submitted a petition asking that their land be spared from demolition as they had bought the property nearly three decades ago.
At Sankey Tank, residents who had been accused of encroaching 1.15 acres of tank bed, submitted documents to the committee and their court petitions. “We also heard complaints of a private builder attempting to develop a high-rise next to the tank. We have asked information about it,” said Mr. Koliwad.
Not all grim
However, not all was grim with the city lakes, said the committee, which has so far inspected 19 lakes in the city. From their visits, they said the encroachment-free 48-acre Kaikondanahalli Lake, 28.17-acre Dorekere Lake, and 35-acre Sankey Tank were examples of “pristinely maintained lakes”. Even the 15.38-acre Munnekolalu kere in Varthur saw just 0.1 acre of encroachment, noted the committee.
Around 34.25 acres of the 55.125-acre Kowdenahalli lake bed has been encroached upon
