BANGALORE: Controversies seem to take safe shelter under civic agency, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) dark shade. At the same time when multi-crore scam and the recent fire mishap is making news, now, a new controversy has come to light. BBMP, allegedly, has taken up a project which is not approved. The concrete embankment of Yediyur lake has been damaged and water from the lake is allegedly diverted into a storm water drain to facilitate the installation of a 33-feet bronze statue of Swami Vivekananda. Also other initiatives like planting saplings, fruit bearing plants and facilities will be adopted at a cost of Rs1.5-crore. Residents of that locality claimed that the water level in the lake had reduced by at least two-feet. However, the residents are unsure if the work has stopped. A few environmentalists warned the local councillor N R Ramesh about the High Court order, which stresses on prohibiting any kind of activity on a lake bed without legal permission. Ramesh assured them the work would stop. However, residents complained that the work did not stop. Meanwhile, sources from Lake Development Authority (LDA) claimed that draining the lake was illegal and against order of the High Court. “LDA has not permitted the draining and installation of statue on the lake bed,” official sources said. On Wednesday, environmentalists along with local residents and volunteers from various NGOs will gather to repair the embankment. The volunteers have filed a case with the Jayanagar Police Station.‘Rotten Things Cleared’ N R Ramesh said that the depth of the lake is just 19-feet and will be filled after rainy season. “We have not removed the water completely. Just two-feet of water on the top was removed, as it was filled with rotten leaves. Moreover, during Ganesha festival, people had immersed idols in this lake, instead of immersion tank, leading to foul smell. We only cleared the rotten flowers and leaves,” he said.When asked about the Swami Vivekananda statue, Ramesh said that was not scheduled for now. “When we install the statue, it will not distract the lake or any part of the lake. We are using new technology,” he added.Activist SpeaksDr Meenakshi Bharath of Malleswaram Swabhimana initiative, a resident welfare association, said that the councillor claimed that they were removing post festival waste of Ganesha festival. “It has been more than two months since Ganesha festival took place. What was the need to clear the waste now?” she questioned.Officials’ VersionMeanwhile, many BBMP officials are said to be unaware of the work including Commissioner Siddaiah. Siddaiah said that while he knew of the project, he did not know about the damage to the embankment. BBMP’s South zone Joint Commissioner A B Hemachandra and Chief Engineer M C Prakash admitted that the project had not been approved by their office.
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