By Anuksha Dey & Qamar ZJ
The Mangala Rama Kunte Pond in Anekal is encroached by certain vested interests who want to build a private road in Ramasagara. According to government records, the lake land stretches over 9000 square feet and is worth more than Rs 2 crores. The road is allegedly constructed on space meant for rajakaluve and a portion of the pond, leaving the area prone to flooding.
The rajakalave system
Bengaluru and its adjoining areas have a natural system of rajakaluves (major storm water drains) which allows the excess water from one water body to flow into the next, preventing floods. However, the encroachment prevents effective flow through the stormwater drains and with the pond gone, there’s no place for the water to flow when the rajakaluve is full.
Encroachment is a common problem in Anekal
According to a National Green Tribunal (NGT) judgement of 2017, no permission is to be given to any new establishment within 75 metres of any rajakaluve. However, the encroachment of these stormwater drains continues to be a problem. “Almost every natural water body in this area has been encroached by shameless, greedy real estate developers,” a resident of the area complained on social media. Captain Santhosh KC who filed a complaint against the encroachment to the BBMP says, “This is the fourth water body I am retrieving from an encroachment.“
Need for urgent action
Bengaluru has lost a number of lakes to encroachment. An inventory of water bodies in the city reveals that the four lakes in the metropolitan area completely disappeared due to encroachment. Kethamaranahalli Lake was converted into a ground, Agrahara Lake was converted into a BBMP ground. Makali Lake was converted into a warehouse. Kasaba Yeshwantpur Lake was converted into a hospital.
Besides, 835 lakes in Bengaluru Urban have at least one encroachment, and only 85 water bodies are devoid of encroachments. The most common forms of lake encroachment are roads, parks, temples, residential houses and layouts, graveyards, and farms. The NGT suggested setting up CCTV cameras for monitoring the lake areas in Bengaluru and preventing encroachments. The Karnataka High Court ordered the authorities to install CCTVs in lakes in 2019. BBMP installed CCTVs in Bellandur lake, most of which became defunct within months. The CCTVs are also installed in Varthur, Devarabeesanahalli, and Iblur lakes. Now, the civic body has decided to install CCTVs in 11 other lakes. Urgent action needs to be taken to stop encroachments in the future. While CCTVs are a good idea, the authorities should ensure that they do not go out of order. Besides, marshals should also be hired for deterrence and effective on-the-spot policing.
Is your property on a rajakaluve?
One way to find out is use this website developed by the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. You can search by the name of taluk, hobli, and village. You could access records straight from the Karnataka government by going here as well. However, the IIMB site is more user-friendly.
