Civic authorities halt roadwork near Pattandur Agrahara Lake

Following allegations that a road was constructed in the buffer zone of the Pattandur Agrahara Lake and a notice by the Karnataka Tank Conservation and Development Authority (KTCDA), the BBMP has put the project on hold.

In an order issued to the contractor by the executive engineer, road infrastructure (Mahadevapura), the BBMP directed the contractor to pause the project until further instructions, citing technical hurdles.

“The KTCDA has issued a notice asking us to apply for permission to take up the project. Hence, we have put it on hold until we get approval,” a senior BBMP official said.

Lake activists, who have been opposing the works, said they want the BBMP to cancel the project.

“It was the same case back in 2018. The BBMP started the work and stopped it after we opposed it. Now, the work went on for two weeks after the KTCDA issued a notice. Though the temporary halt is a welcome relief, we want the BBMP to cancel the project,” said Sandeep Anirudhan, a lake activist who wrote to the KTCDA requesting their intervention.

Activists unhappy

Activists have also argued that the failure to include the lake in the Revised Master Plan (RMP) 2015 was the root cause of the problem and urged the civic authorities to add it to the RMP to prevent any such projects in the future.