Committee proposes exclusive team to monitor city lakes

The Legislature Committee on Local Bodies and Panchayat Raj, which inspected two lakes in Bengaluru on Thursday, has decided to propose the creation of a team to monitor city lakes.

The team is intended to bridge the gap between various agencies in charge of the water bodies, which the committee found as the reason for lack of action on the ground.

It intends to authorise the team to expedite action against offenders, such as clearing encroachments.

“Most of the lakes come under the BBMP, while a few are under the control of the BDA, the Minor Irrigation Department and others. This leads to confusion over the ownership and delays decision making,” Arga Jnanendra, the BJP MLA who heads the committee, told DH.

Though a survey of the lakes in 2016 had highlighted the reasons for their pollution, no action was taken to correct the situation.

Jnanendra said the Committee is proposing to have three tahsildars in the special lake monitoring team with a few surveyors for assistance. It will have freedom to take action based on previous reports or to hold a separate survey to suit their requirement.

Crackdown on offenders

“The committee intends to ensure the action on the offenders is fast. As soon as the team receives a complaint, it’ll visit the spot and take action. The survey team and the tahsildars will be ready to conduct a spot survey (if required) and submit the report to the bosses who can take action. We need an officer at the tahsildar cadre,” Jnanendra added.