HC adjourns case on privatisation of lakes

HC adjourns case on privatisation of lakes

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: The proposal of the Lake Development Authority (LDA) to hand over two of the city’s best known water bodies — Lake Hebbal and Lake Agaram — to private entrepreneurs was challenged in the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday.

A city-based advocate, Rudrappa, who is also the founder secretary of a non-governmental organisation Vishwa Adhyatma Vikasa Prathisthana, has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) petition questioning the action of the State and its agencies in not maintaining the 81 tanks in Bangalore metropolitan area.

In his petition, Mr. Rudrappa said that while some of the tanks have been encroached, others have been allowed to dry up. Moreover, the recommendations of the N. Lakshman Rau Committee on preserving and protecting the existing water bodies in and around Bangalore had not been followed.

Though the Lake Development Authority was constituted by the Government, with the main objective of preserving the lakes, it had recently entered into an agreement with two private companies for maintaining Hebbal and Agaram lakes.

Challenging this move, the petitioner said if the lakes were to be handed over to private entrepreneurs, the public would not have access to them. Besides, the agreement entered into by the LDA with the private entrepreneurs is illegal and arbitrary.

He said if commercial buildings were to come up in these two lakes, it would cause pollution. Introduction of motor boating and a floating restaurant would cause further damage to the flora and fauna of the lake and lake bed.

Mr. Rudrappa said the National Lake Conservation Programme had sanctioned Rs. 51.04 crore for the development of 14 tanks in the State, including Hebbal, Nagawara, Lalbagh, Jaraganahalli, Bellundur and Rangaihnakere in Bangalore. When there is no dearth of funds for the development of water bodies, how could the State have mooted the proposal of privatising the lakes, he asked. He said the Lake Nagawara is now already out of bounds for the public, unless they pay the private entrepreneur, who has been given the right to conduct commercial activity on its tank bed. He urged the court to direct the parties not to dry up the lakes.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Cyriac Joseph and Justice Ashok B. Hinchigeri asked the Government advocate to verify facts on the issue and place the material before the court.

The Bench then adjourned further hearing on the case.