Pathway around Sankey Tank unusable

Pathway around Sankey Tank unusable

The Hindu

Work on re-laying the pathway has been going on for weeks

# Pathway is muddy after rain
# Cobblestones removed
# They have been dumped on the site
# Iron railings around tank bund yet to be fixed

BANGALORE: People coming to the Sankey Tank pathway for a walk are a harried lot: the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) is yet to complete the work of re-laying the pathway, which it began in April.

Acting on a recommendation by the Mines and Geology Department, the BMP increased the water-level in the tank from 928.8 m to 929.9 m to facilitate recharging of the water table. As the water-level has been increased, it was felt that the tank bund should also be raised to prevent overflow.

Cobblestones removed

The BMP took up work to raise the tank bund. As part of the project, it had to re-lay the pathway, and in April, the cobblestones on the 1.7-km pathway around the tank were removed. Now, after rains, the pathway is slushy, and visitors find it difficult to enter the area. The stones have been dumped on both sides of the pathway. The iron railings on the bund have been removed, and this poses a danger to visitors to the tank area.

Although the BMP promised to re-lay the pathway by June, it has not been able to do so. Official sources in the BMP said work is delayed because of rains. However, visitors blame the BMP for the delay. One of them, Saraswathi, said: "Work is progressing slowly. It looks as if the BMP is not bothered about re-laying the pathway. I am forced to use the muddy pathway."

A senior official in the BMP's engineering wing told The Hindu that the work at the tank was taken up on the basis of the survey conducted Mines and Geology Department. The Lokayukta, N. Venkatachala, had also ordered the civic body to clear encroachments on the tank-bed.

Assurance

"Work on the bund will be completed within a fortnight, and the pathway will be ready by August," he added.