Sankey Tank overflows

Sankey Tank overflows

The Hindu

Over Rs. 5 crores spent on restoration rendered waste

# Water only an inch away from the wall on the tank bund road
# Tank area kept closed for public for the last 15 days
# Mayor, BMP authorities yet to visit the tank
# BJP seeks CoD probe into alleged irregularities



WATER WOES OF A DIFFERENT KIND: A view of the overflowing Sankey Tank on Thursday. — Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

BANGALORE: You can call it rain fury or improper planning. Over Rs. 5 crores spent on the restoration of the picturesque Sankey Tank by the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) has now been rendered waste.

With the tank filled to the brim, the immersion pond, the boating jetty, the obsequies pond, the entire landscaping, the iron railings and even the pathway surrounding the lake have been submerged. The retaining wall of the tank, portions of which had recently collapsed because of alleged substandard construction, is also submerged on the Sadashivanagar side of the tank.

On Thursday, it was noticed that the tank water is just an inch away from the wall along the tank bund road. As the whole tank bed has become slushy after water overflowed onto it, the tank area has remained closed for public for the last 15 days.

While concerned citizens and residents of the nearby Vyalikaval, Kodandramapuram and Malleswaram areas blame the BMP for this, the authorities, including the Mayor, R. Narayanaswamy, and the Mahanagara Palike Commissioner, K. Jothiramalingam, have not bothered to visit the tank. The gates at all entry points to the tank have been closed and two security guards are posted to keep a watch.

Poor work

"Though the retaining wall collapsed because of substandard material used in the construction, the BMP officials said the wall fell after a tractor transporting construction material to the other side of the tank hit the wall.

"Later, they demolished the entire wall along the tank bund road. This has resulted in overflowing of the tank," said R. Venkatesh, a resident of Vyalikaval.

"Over a 1,000 walkers used the pathway daily till recently. Now, we will have to watch the tank from the road above the bund. We are afraid the water will overflow onto the roads too," he added.

To increase the water level in the tank from 928.8 metres to 929.8 metres, the BMP started re-doing the entire 1,700-metre pathway and the tank bund in May. The idea was to widen the earlier tank bund by 2.5 metres and a construct a new retaining wall on the embankment by August; all at a cost of Rs. 69 lakhs. But rain delayed work and then the wall collapsed.

"After the height of the waste weirs was raised, a retaining wall should have been constructed. But substandard construction material was used and the wall collapsed weeks after it was built.

"Though we have been complaining about the irregularities in the project, it is unfortunate that the officials are continuing to misuse crores of rupees in the name of restoration," the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) city spokesperson, S. Prakash, said. The BJP has now demanded a Corps of Detectives probe into the matter. BMP officials were not available for comments.