<p>Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday paid a surprise visit to Hosakerehalli lake, at the centre of an encroachment controversy for the last two months.</p>.<p>The visit comes four days after he suspended two engineers for facilitating the construction of an illegal road inside RR Nagar’s major waterbody. He spent around 15 minutes at the lake.</p>.<p>During the unplanned visit, Shivakumar was not accompanied by BBMP officials in charge of the lake’s upkeep. Instead, the Deputy Chief Minister’s subordinate joined him and were later followed by Congress workers.</p>.<p>When word of Shivakumar's visit spread, local residents met and requested his intervention in the lake’s immediate restoration.</p>.<p>Shivakumar reportedly promised the residents that the soil illegally dumped into the lake would be cleared. It is unclear if the Bengaluru Development Minister would re-tender the work or continue with the contractor who had been awarded the project to desilt the lake.</p>
<p>Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday paid a surprise visit to Hosakerehalli lake, at the centre of an encroachment controversy for the last two months.</p>.<p>The visit comes four days after he suspended two engineers for facilitating the construction of an illegal road inside RR Nagar’s major waterbody. He spent around 15 minutes at the lake.</p>.<p>During the unplanned visit, Shivakumar was not accompanied by BBMP officials in charge of the lake’s upkeep. Instead, the Deputy Chief Minister’s subordinate joined him and were later followed by Congress workers.</p>.<p>When word of Shivakumar's visit spread, local residents met and requested his intervention in the lake’s immediate restoration.</p>.<p>Shivakumar reportedly promised the residents that the soil illegally dumped into the lake would be cleared. It is unclear if the Bengaluru Development Minister would re-tender the work or continue with the contractor who had been awarded the project to desilt the lake.</p>