Resident’s toil to save lake from land sharks

Resident’s toil to save lake from land sharks
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: The strong will of the residents of this locality has been helping an age-old lake still breathe, despite illegal encroachments on the tank bed.

The legal battle between the residents of Ramamurthynagar and a private organisation over Gangadhara Bhattana Kere has now crossed 20 years with no results. The expert committee for Preservation of Tanks in Bangalore, constituted in 1985, had declared the said lake as ‘Live Tank’. The 55-acre wide Gangadhara Bhattana Kere has been recharging ground water table in the region for hundreds of years, besides, providing a breeding ground for flora and fauna, especially bird species.

In 1988, Basava Samithi, an organisation had applied for a land on catchment area to build Basava Smaraka Garden. But, the government rejected the application, stating in the committee report that the tank area cannot be diverted for any other purpose. Interestingly, after three years, 10 acres of land was allotted to St Anne’s organisation.

Irate with the government’s move the residents filed a case in court, and the court dismissed the plea of St Anne’s organisation on June 24, 1996, stating that Survey No. 27 of Koudenahalli is a notified lake area and cannot be converted for any other purposes.

According to K Harish, Secretary, Janahita Sourakshana Samithi, the systematic Land Mafia is working on the disappearance of the lake.

‘‘Lack of proper management has already diminished the lake area. The weeds are all over the lake and there is an urgent need for restoration of the water body,’’ he said.

Recently, the forest department has taken up the sapling plantation work and erected a board with details of Gangadhara Bhattana Kere. The water body still lacks attention of authorities and the residents are in no mood to lose the pride of the locality.Resident’s toil to save lake from land sharks
Saturday January 20 2007 10:16 IST

BANGALORE: The strong will of the residents of this locality has been helping an age-old lake still breathe, despite illegal encroachments on the tank bed.

The legal battle between the residents of Ramamurthynagar and a private organisation over Gangadhara Bhattana Kere has now crossed 20 years with no results. The expert committee for Preservation of Tanks in Bangalore, constituted in 1985, had declared the said lake as ‘Live Tank’. The 55-acre wide Gangadhara Bhattana Kere has been recharging ground water table in the region for hundreds of years, besides, providing a breeding ground for flora and fauna, especially bird species.

In 1988, Basava Samithi, an organisation had applied for a land on catchment area to build Basava Smaraka Garden. But, the government rejected the application, stating in the committee report that the tank area cannot be diverted for any other purpose. Interestingly, after three years, 10 acres of land was allotted to St Anne’s organisation.

Irate with the government’s move the residents filed a case in court, and the court dismissed the plea of St Anne’s organisation on June 24, 1996, stating that Survey No. 27 of Koudenahalli is a notified lake area and cannot be converted for any other purposes.

According to K Harish, Secretary, Janahita Sourakshana Samithi, the systematic Land Mafia is working on the disappearance of the lake.

‘‘Lack of proper management has already diminished the lake area. The weeds are all over the lake and there is an urgent need for restoration of the water body,’’ he said.

Recently, the forest department has taken up the sapling plantation work and erected a board with details of Gangadhara Bhattana Kere. The water body still lacks attention of authorities and the residents are in no mood to lose the pride of the locality.