BENGALURU: Recently, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had announced the transfer of all lakes in the city, barring Bellandur, Varthur and Veerasandra, to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). However, this hasn’t gone down well with many citizens and they have created an online petition to the Chief Minister seeking transfer of all lakes to the Department of Forest, Ecology and Environment. The citizens want even riverbeds, parks and urban forests to be transferred to the forest department.
Bengaluru has over 200 lakes, of which, 169 are with BBMP. It will now take over 38 lakes, including nine that are with the forest department.
The petition stated, “The nature’s abodes such as parks, lakes, riverbeds and urban forests are safe only in the hands of the Forest, Ecology and Environment Department, Government of Karnataka. The move to transfer them to BBMP will spell their extinction. BBMP may convert them into concrete jungles.”
Sanjay S, an environmentalist who started the petition, said, “The city has already lost a lot. Is BBMP really equipped to handle all the 200 lakes in the city? They have no clue about the ecology of the lakes. They are ill-equipped and do not even have enough staff. Nor do they have environmentalists or ecologists on board to design an ecologically sustainable model. They have no one on the ground like the Department of Forest, Ecology and Environment, which has an RFO, foresters, forest guards and watchers. And the department is also empowered to book an offence against encroachments, unlike BBMP. BBMP can make the lakes disappear.”
Ram Prasad, founder, Friends of Lakes, said, “If the lakes are under the Department of Forest, Ecology and Environment, it is good. But as per the 74 amendment act of the Constitution, lakes or water bodies come under local self-governance. Handing over the lakes to BBMP is the right thing. But the forest department should be made the regulatory body.”
Vijay Nishanth, an environmentalist, said, “The shifting of lakes from one department to another is quite a problem. Lake experts should be consulted before such decisions are made. To ensure conservation of lakes, we need professionals who are well aware of the issues.”
