Debri dots Puttenahalli lake

Debri dots Puttenahalli lake
DH News Service, Bangalore:
Lackadaisical attitude of the local body has reduced the Puttenahalli lake in JP Nagar VI Phase to mere debris and garbage filling ground.

What was once the pride of south Bangalore, has now turned into an eyesore. Puttenahalli lake in JP Nagar VI Phase has been reduced to mere debris and garbage filling ground, thanks to lackadaisical attitude of the local body.

Loads of debris from demolished buildings, granite waste from nearby granite factories and garbage are being dumped in the lake, while rampant encroachment has sapped all its vitality.

The local residents said debris are being dumped to level the lake, paving the way for encroachment. “Powerful land mafia is behind the slow death of the lake. They want to fill it with debris and gradually takeover the space by constructing apartment complexes,” the residents alleged.

The lake, also called Jaraganahalli kere, is located in the erstwhile Bommanahalli city municipal council limits. It falls under Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike limits. In fact, the ownership of the lake has been handed over to the BBMP from Lake Development Authority recently.

According to Ramananada Sharma of JP Nagar 7th Phase Residents’ Welfare Association, it was one of the biggest lakes of Bangalore with over 177 acres. Today, it is just around 50 acres. “What has happened to over 100 acres of the lake land,” he questioned.

It is estimated that the lake is getting over 100 tonnes of debris.

“And people also use the place as an open toilet. Bottles from bars and liquor stores, wastes from hotels such as feathers and chicken bones, and the leftovers are also dumped. One could count the number of dead cattle in the nearby areas for the carcasses end up here,” he explained.



Project that never took off

LDA had announced to take up a Rs crore project to rejuvenate the lake two years ago under the National Lake Conservation Plan. But it is yet to see the light of the day, the residents said.

“BBMP has now entered the scene in a filmy style - after everything is over. It has proposed to rejuvenate the lake in its 2007-08 budget under the Jawahar Lal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNRUM).

By the time BBMP starts the work, nothing will be left of the lake,” say residents.