Lake panel visits ‘encroached areas’

At Nagawara, multi-storey buildings tower over a depression of land overrun by weeds and the entire site is abuzz with construction activity. It is hard to believe that the area, which falls in the Karle Special Economic Zone, is classified in village records as a rajakaluve, but locals insist that a wide storm water drain (SWD) diverted water into the Nagawara lake nearby before the buildings came up.

During an inspection by the Legislative Committee for Lake Protection on Thursday, officials of Karle Group got into a tussle with local residents, who accused them of tampering records to encroach on 27 guntas of the rajakaluve.

“Before the buildings came up around the rajakaluve, water flowed across the land to the next lake. Now, the area gets flooded even during light rain," said Sunitha, a local resident.

While a Karle spokesperson blamed another construction company for the encroachment, the committee chairman K.B. Koliwad directed officials to submit a report.

The committee also visited Rachenahalli lake in Dasarahalli where 15 guntas of lake bed has reportedly encroached. Mr. Koliwad has sought an explanation from the BDA.

At Byrasandra lake near Bagmane Tech Park, 36 guntas of the buffer zone has allegedly been encroached.

Ravikumar, general manager, Bagmane Tech Park, denied encroaching on the lake bed, but offered a parcel of land adjoining the lake to rejuvenate the water body.

The committee checked the records following allegations that V.R. Bengaluru Mall encroached on Kharab B land and illegally modified it to show the plot as Kharab A. The mall authorities deny the allegations.

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