Land reclamation leaves idyllic home marooned

Land reclamation leaves idyllic home marooned
The Hindu

BMP's move to increase water-level of Sankey Tank leads to the inundation of the house


BANGALORE: Last Saturday, Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh and Bangalore Mayor R. Narayanaswamy walked around Sankey Tank to see how a lake "swallowed up" Rs. 5 crores of taxpayers' money. If they wish to do that now, they will have to stand on the terrace of M.A. Parthasarathy's house. As M.A. Sreenivasan, grandson of the illustrious civil service minister in princely Mysore and later Dewan of Gwalior the Late M.A. Sreenivasan (1897-1997) and son of M.A. Parthasarathy, narrated the tale of how water from the tank has gradually been turning their idyllic home, "Hamsini," whose backyard is the Sankey tank, into a swamp, water has already levelled up with the windows.

The basement office of Mr. Parthasarathy, environmentalist, who was once involved with late N. Lakshman Rau in drafting a policy to save Bangalore's tanks and lakes, is now under water. The windows that once offered the grandest view in the city, now show none of the pathways, jetties and landscaping on which the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) has spent Rs. 5 crores. In July this year, the BMP gave the jogger's park regulars a harrowing time by going slow in completing the work of relaying the pathway. And then the BMP decided to take the advice of the Department of Mines and Geology and increased the water level in the tank from 928.8 m to 929.9 m, ostensibly to "facilitate recharging of the water table." Then the need was felt to raise the tank bund to prevent overflow. Sources in BMP had another excuse to justify their actions. Lok Ayukta N. Venkatachala, who takes personal interest in the park around the tank and uses it regularly, has ordered the BMP to clear "all encroachments" on the tank bed, and they are merely complying with it. When the Chief Minister inspected the tank last week, and announced a high-level committee of legislators and officials to inquire into the why and wherefore of the Sankey Tank misadventure, there were also references to the extent of land granted to the late M.A. Sreenivasan's family. Mr. Sreenivasan told The Hindu that in April 2003, the BMP communicated to him that since modernisation and improvement work was to be taken up around the tank, it is required to demarcate the exact boundary of the tank, and the extent of land owned by his family.

On scrutinising the records, BMP had conceded that their claim was in order. But since they continued to face harassment, the Srinivasans went to court, and in June 2005, the Karnataka High Court passed orders directing the BMP, which had fenced the Sankey Tank to protect it, to refrain form interfering with the Sreenivasans' right to enjoy their property.

In July, the BMP dismantled the fence and broke the bund that formed the boundary, making the Sreenivasans' home vulnerable from the tank side. And the move to raise the water level led to the inundation of their house.