BBMP frames new policy allowing private entities to maintain lakes

Bengaluru: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has framed a new policy allowing private entities, nonprofits, and citizen groups to contribute funds and resources to develop and maintain lakes.

The private entities can either take up lake works on their own or through the civic body. The move comes almost four years after the BBMP discontinued tie-ups with private parties following a court order.

Dubbed the BBMP Community Involvement for Lake Conservation Policy, 2024, the framework is currently pending approval from the Karnataka High Court.

The BBMP said it has 202 lakes within its limits, of which 183 are alive and others are almost dead. Among the lakes that are not fully encroached, the BBMP has revived 114 and is working on 42 more; 27 are yet to be developed.

Besides rejuvenation, the civic body spends Rs 50 crore for their upkeep, which it hopes to reduce when the policy comes into effect.

The Palike also hopes to raise funds to install benches, public restrooms, water treatment plants, aerators, and floating islands, and create parks and open spaces, besides the general upkeep of the lakes.

Officials said the policy hopes to tap into Schedule VII of the Companies Act 2013, that allows corporate entities to fund initiatives concerning environmental sustainability and protect flora and fauna.

The new framework calls for private entities to make a proposal to the BBMP Chief Commissioner detailing the work they intend to undertake. They can either do the work themselves or contribute funds to the civic body. Prior approval of the Karnataka Tank Conservation and Development Authority (KTCDA) is mandatory. 

A senior BBMP official said the policy would help check the amount of work proposed by private entities.

“In the past, the BBMP was not directly involved. Going ahead, there will be supervision from the BBMP engineers to ensure what is spent will be made known to the public. We have submitted the proposal to the court. The case will come up for hearing in mid-June,” he said. 

Before a similar policy was withdrawn in 2020, the BBMP signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to maintain 11 lakes. 

Usha Rajagopalan, founder of Puttenahalli Neighbourhood Lake Improvement Trust, is happy that the BBMP is finally coming up with a policy to conserve lakes.

“We have been nurturing the lake by raising donations locally. The money was sufficient because it is a small lake. We did raise CSR funding for big projects, but that was stopped since March 2020,” she said. 

V Ramprasad, convener of Friends of Lakes, said the policy should promote tripartite agreements between NGOs (representing the private firm), local citizen groups and the BBMP.

“If citizen groups are not part of the agreement, there is a high possibility that the encroacher, in the guise of providing funds, will use the lake for unscrupulous intentions,” he said.