BDA engineers admit to goofing up on lake

The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) engineers who came to inspect the layout carved on a lake bed at Gubbalala near Uttarahalli admitted to the goof-up in connection with Venkatarayana Kere.

As per the Supreme Court and Karnataka High Court direction, no construction activity or layout should be formed on the lake bed. However, throwing all the norms to wind, the BDA officials levelled the lake and carved a layout on it.

Following Deccan Herald report on June 11, 2013 under the title ‘How BDA ‘stole’ lake land to form layout,’ the BDA officials were in denial till Thursday morning. The BDA higher-ups wanted to issue a rejoinder based on the fictitious map they have put up on their website but before that they sent a team of engineers led by their assistant executive engineer, Purushotham.

The engineers brought with them the layout map, which is not yet approved even after ten years of its formation and allotment of sites to the individuals. The map clearly showed that the layout has been formed on Survey no-8 of Gubbalala village.

The villagers who had gathered on the spot on learning about the inspection showed the engineers the Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crop (RTC), which clearly declares Sy no 8 as lake (Kere Angala). The engineers finally admitted to their goof-up and reported the matter to the chief engineer.

Mischief

Top BDA officials requesting anonymity said the layout was formed in 2003-04. The State government had handed over the lake to the BDA to fence it and build walkway around it. After getting the lake, the land acquisition officers of the BDA showed it in their records as kharaab land and gave it to the engineering division for the layout formation.

As directed by their superiors, the engineers levelled it and diverted the flow of storm-water to the other side. Further they formed a layout carving out 120 small sites with a dimension of 20 ft by 30 ft for the economically weaker section (EWS), the sources said.

“If it is a lake, then we have no other option but to restore it,” said the officer.

‘My land is encroached upon’

Dharmappa, whose 2.35 acres of land at Gubbalala was acquired by Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) only to grant it to BDA Employees’ Welfare Association at Rs 6.87 per sq ft, is again affected by the BDA’s lake bed layout at Gubbalala.

To show that the dubious layout was away from its actual place, BDA officials created a fictitious sketch, which encroaches upon Dharmappa's land. When BDA engineers came to survey the lake bed layout on Thursday, which is part of Banashankari VI Stage, Dharmappa, complained to them about the mischief played by revenue officials, which may result in a loss of about half-an-acre of land. He told them that his land has been shown inside the layout, which is not true.

“Neither my land has been acquired nor am I willing to give it to you. Your attested map shows my land inside the layout, which is illegal,” Dharmappa told BDA officials. The assistant executive engineer assured Dharmappa that they will survey the lake land as well as his land.