While Corporator N R Ramesh has been trying to give a facelift to Yediyur lake, residents and the members of the newly formed Yediyur Lake Walkers Welfare Association seem to still have certain grievances.

Speaking about the condition of the lake, the president of the association, C Venkateshan said, "The maintenance of the lake is very bad mainly because residents and passersby dump garbage in the lake."

According to members, one of the main issue responsible for pollution of the lake is the immersion of Ganesha idols during the festive season. Over 1,68,000 idols are immersed in a span of a month. "It is due to this immersion, the lake smells of chemicals and fails to attract birds. Also, when the authorities undertake the disposal activity, they shut down the walkers path for nearly four months. This is another inconvenience caused for walkers and joggers," said V Narayana, founder of the association.

"Earlier the lake did not have basic facilities like supply of drinking water and toilet facility. The corporator has addressed the issue. But then, the dislocation of the tiles in the walkers’ tracks has led to many senior citizens mis-stepping and losing balance while walking. The corporator has assured to restore it after the elections," explained M S Mani, secretary of the organisation.

The association members have appreciated the cooperation and support from the corporator N R Ramesh, who has extended a helping hand to revive the beauty of the lake.

But environmentalists opine that beautification of the lake destroys the natural beauty. Speaking about the same, environmentalist Suresh Heblikar said, "Since the lake is very small in size, it takes around 10-15 trucks of soil to fill the lake. Instead saplings should be planted on the edge of the lake. There are no catchment areas in these lakes as they are encroached by apartments, shops and houses. The lung space of Bangalore has been destroyed to a great extent. There are many dying lakes in the city like Vasanthapura Lake, Subramanya Lake, Uttarahalli Lake and others which demand attention. Authorities need to concentrate on those lakes."

However, residents here also complain about snakes in the vicinity of the lake. But the BBMP authorities have found a temporary solution. When asked, Sharat Babu, a wildlife warden at the BBMP Forest Cell and Paramedic Centre, impudently answered, "This problem persists not only in one lake but many other lakes too. Since it is summer, complaints about from the residents near the lakes are common."

On the snake issue, Heblikar said, "It is the people who have encroached the habitat of the snakes and other aqua creatures. Snakes, snails and frogs are part of ecosystem and should not be disturbed."