lake encroachment

The Manipal ETA Infotech project has got the approval from the authorities, even though the assessments highlight the poor traffic plan. Traffic police say they don’t have any say in this.

A 2300-crore real estate project in south Bangalore has encroached 2.6 acres of Rajakaluve, risking flooding, says an IISc report. The promoter, Manipal ETA Infotech Pvt Ltd, doesn’t even exist in the list of registered companies in India.

The central Environmental Ministry watchdog office in Bengaluru is so understaffed that they are signing off compliance reports without even inspecting sites. This is one of many reasons this 72-acre realty project is proceeding despite major violations.

Though many lakes in Bangalore are dying a slow death, nothing much has been done concretely to stop the mindless encroachment. Kadugodi lake is the latest on the list.

Chunchghatta lake, in southern fringes of the city and home to hundreds of birds is slowly being encroached upon and polluted with garbage and sewage. A Citizen Matters inquiry has resulted in authorities waking up.