Can
a tank bund be converted into a pucca asphlated road? The Bruhat
Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) thinks so. The civic body has granted
Rs. 8 crore for the construction of a 40 ft asphalted road on the tank
bund of Doddabommasandra lake in Vidyaranyapura under the Nagarothana
grants.

The road, if built, will be in clear violation of the
National Green Tribunal order of May 2016, that has set the buffer zone
around lakes at 75 m. The road is on the tank bund and is part of the
lake, not even its buffer zone, activists have pointed out. The
Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority (KLCDA) has also
taken objection to the road and written to the BBMP, said Seema Garg,
CEO, KLCDA. B.V. Sathish, Chief Engineer, Lakes, BBMP, also said that
the lakes division was not consulted over the road.

This comes
months after the local residents led a vociferous campaign against
wetlands adjoining the lake being dumped with silt dug up during
rejuvenation in October 2016. It was later revealed that plans were
afoot to build a park and an open-air gym, a deviation from the Detailed
Project Report (DPR). The plans were later dropped following public
outcry.

V. Ramprasad, a local resident and a lake conservation
activist, said there were unconfirmed reports of wetlands being filled
to build a road to access private lands at the other end of the lake,
where an apartment was reportedly coming up.

“Then they claimed
plans were to develop a park. But now the agenda is clear. They have got
a 40 ft wide road sanctioned in clear violation of the tank bed area.
The road seems to be under way only to give access to private lands,
which we fear will lead to further encroachment of the lake area,” he
said.

Madhuri Subbarao, a resident who led the 2016 campaign, said
there were repeated attempts to build the road and it was a clear
violation of the DPR for the rejuvenation of the lake.

“We have
repeatedly complained to BBMP and KLCDA to no effect,” she said. Local
civic officials said the tank bund was used as a traditional walkway to
connect Doddabommasandra and Kodigehalli for many decades now and the
road was being planned following public demand from the residents of
Kodigehalli. The road, if laid, will reduce the distance by over 2 km,
the officials said. However, the traditional walkway is less than 15 ft
wide which is now being widened by dumping debris to over 40 ft,
residents complain.

BBMP Commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad said he would examine the road project again.

“The
road appears to be in clear violation of NGT order on buffer zones. I
hope BBMP abides by KLCDA directions. If it fails to do so, we will be
forced to bring it to NGT’s notice

Sridhar Pabbisetty,

CEO, Namma Bengaluru Foundation, also petitioner on buffer zones before NGT