Hosakerehalli Lake To Draw Tourists
Hosakerehalli Lake after years of neglect going to shed its wild and weedy looks to draw tourists. The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) to conduct survey to maintain Hosakerehalli Lake and clear the encroachments. The forest department was ‘maintaining’ the lake spread across 59.25 acres. The lake used to irrigate the agricultural lands surrounding it. It was also used for drinking and fishing. But the forest department did not bother to fence the lake. This led to encroachments. For the past 15 years, encroachments had been going on without any check. This way, more than 20 acres of lake area was encroached.
The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), which had taken over the lake from the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), to conduct survey to maintain the lake. As a first step towards this, the encroachments at Hosakerehalli Lake in Banashankari 3rd Stage will be cleared in a few days. Later, desilting work will begin. A park with a walking track is also planned.
So far, the forest department was ‘maintaining’ the lake. But the forest department did not bother to fence the lake. This led to encroachments by NICE Road on one side and by residents one the other. A few agriculturists extended their land up to the tank bed. With no fencing around, encroachers found it easy to dump domestic waste in the lake. This assault on the lake went on day in and day out. For the past 15 years, encroachments had been going on without any check.
“Adding to the mess, sewage water from Chikkasandra, Ittamadu, Chennamanakere and surrounding areas directly flows into the lake. Instead of calling it a lake, one should call it a pool of sewage water.Whenever we ask the local leaders about the need to develop the lake, they will say there are no funds available,” said Ramegowda, a villager who has seen the lake in its pristine state. Along with the sewage water, the lake is filled with grass and weeds making it a breeding centre for mosquitoes.
Hosakerehalli ward corporator H Narayan admitted that four to five acres of lake has been encroached by agriculturist-turned-realtors Chetty Babu, Kothanoru Bayanna and Narashima Babu. “They encroached the land by extending their agriculture land and farm into the lake illegally”, he said.
“BDA officers had promised us to fence the lake. We will not allow them to take up development of the lake unless the encroachers are removed.BDA engineers are hand in glove with land encroachers and are shielding them. When NICE encroached the 4.37 acres of the lake land for constructing the road, we protested against it. But political leaders interfered and the land was encroached by NICE. Vrushikesh school has also encroached the lake area,” he said.
“Regarding NICE Road, let them give compensation for the BBMP or BDA for encroaching the lake. With that money, the authorities can take up renovation work,” he said.
“We will first conduct the survey of the lake and later the encroachers will be removed. The BDA is also planning to desilt the lake and construct a park and walking track to make it a tourism spot,” the officer said.
Hosakerehalli JD(S) leader MV Prasad Babu aka Kabbadi Babu said the lake could have been made a recreation place for elders and children by developing a park and a garden.
“But the public representatives themselves are involved in the encroachments. The encroachment of NICE Road is due to the diversion of the road alignment towards the lake in order to avoid the 10 acres of land belonging to Hanumanthappa who is the father of the Hosakerehalli corporator Narayan. If the fence starts eating the crop, what can the BDA or BBMP officials do?” wondered Babu.
Courtesy: dnaindia.com/bangalore
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