No sign of restoration work at Kempambudi lake

No sign of restoration work at Kempambudi lake
Vijay Times

HE Kempambudi lake, which is one of the oldest water bodies in the City that has been earmarked for development as part of the M ega City project, still conti exist in a pathetic state.

Despite crores of rupees having been allocated to desilt the lake and beautify , it continues remain in a despicable state. It may be recalled that the Bangalore City Corporation (BCC) had, apart from desilting the lake, planned to develop a park in the vicinity .

The process of desilting the lake, which started in the year 2002 , was supposed to be completed b y 2004. H o wever , it still hasn’t been complet till date. The Corporation has been allocati funds in every Budget for improving the condition of this lake. A sum of Rs 4 crore, during the last Budget, still remains unused.

"There are no signs to indicate that the works are nearing completion," alleged W ard Corporator and T own Planning Committee Member Geetha Sadashiv .

"A sum of Rs 70 to 80 lakh has been spent on desilting the lake . Pipe laying work, that has been taken up at a cost of Rs one cror e b y the Bangalor e W S upply and S ewerage Boar d (B WSSB), is going on at a snail’s pace ," she added.

The size of the lake, which was initially over 47 acres, has now shrunk to 37 acres, thanks to rampant encroachments.

The BCC, which had plans to build a tank in 25 acres of land to store water and develop a park in the remaining 22 acres, now finds itself in a fix as some slum dwellers from the nearby ’Sanyasikunte’ slum, have encroached some part of the land earmarked for development.

The BCC’s repeated appeals to them asking them to vacate the place have fallen on de ears.

Meanwhile, residents complained of an acute water shortage problem in the areas o Chamarajpet and Hanumanthnagar , as no sign of work restoration is seen at Kempambudi lake.

When contacted, MLA B K Chandrashekar assured BVT that the work would be completed at the earliest.

However , BCC officials were tight-lipped about the completion of the project.