When the intelligentsia of the City assembled on Monday at The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI) to hear to talk on ‘Did BDA Encroach Lakes?’ by the former Bangalore Development Authority chairperson, Jayakar Jerome, only a few knew that the place chosen for the discussion sat exactly on the lakebed.
It was quite a revelation for the gathering when former chief secretary, A Ravindra said, “The place where we are sitting today was once Domlur lake.”
The crux of the event was the confession by Jerome when he admitted that the only fault committed by the BDA, when he headed the agency, was the formation of layout on the Venkatarayana Kere (tank) in survey number 8 of Gubbalala village under Uttarahalli hobli of Bengaluru South taluk.
“During my tenure, the BDA formed about 5,000 sites but formation of the layout on Venkatarayana Kere was a mistake. We did not know that was a tank,” said Jerome.
He categorically refuted the charges that the BDA had encroached on lakes. He said the agency never encroached upon lakes as has been projected.
“The BDA Act came into force in 1975. The Authority did not have the powers to acquire land. The BDA prepares an action plan and sends the report to the State government for approval. Once the government gives its nod, the notification is issued and subsequently the objections are called for. The layout is formed later,” Jerome said, adding that the deputy commissioner has the power to hand over the land to the BDA.
People deliberated upon the lack of powers to the Lake Development Authority, which was the creation of Ravindra, when he was the chief secretary to the government.
DH News Service