Construction and demolition waste dumped in Varthur Lake in Bengaluru has worried residents.
With hundreds of trucks dumping debris on a parcel of land adjoining the nearly 440-acre Varthur Lake in East Bengaluru, some residents of Thubbarhalli and members of Whitefield Rising recorded videos and handed them over to officials. The residents say they believe their vigil has prevented another lake in the city from being encroached.
Officials from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and the Revenue Department have started to demarcate the boundary of the lake on this stretch to ascertain if any encroachment has happened. But prima facie it appeared that most of the dumping has happened in two private survey numbers.
Although the lake doesn't seem encroached, the construction and demolition waste dumped in the buffer zone is a worry for the residents. They believe that's how an illegal construction starts.
"Looking at the properties around here, the apartments constructed here, this is how it has started. So they usually get mud from the other locations they level it and start building on it. This was the case, when we thought when first when we saw this place, hundreds of trucks coming in here and dumping mud overnight. That's what we felt and then when reported and we got it surveyed," said Jagadish Reddy, a resident of Whitefield Rising.
The CEO of Lake Conservation and Development Authority said they will wait for the survey report and take action accordingly.
"We called for a survey, BDA has cooperated. Once it is over, action will be taken with the help of lake custodian. Even dumping debris in the buffer zone is punishable as per the April 19th, 2017 order of the National Green Tribunal," said Vidyasagar.
Varthur Lake, one of the biggest water bodies in the city, has been in the news for the past few years for the froth and fire resulting from rampant pollution. The recent rap by the National Green Tribunal has made authorities work on the rejuvenation of the upstream Bellandur Lake.