Residents want CM to intervene to save Pattandur Agrahara lake

After two rounds of silent protests and multiple petitions to the authorities concerned, residents of localities around Pattandur Agrahara lake on ECC Road, Whitefield, want Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy to intervene and help save the lake.

On Sunday, hundreds of residents, under the banner of Pattandur Agrahara RWA Federation, came out on to the streets to draw the attention of the new government to the issue. This is the second such human chain protest after the one in October last year.

In 2016, a court order ruled the lake to be a private property, which was not contested by the government at that time. In April this year, the High Court of Karnataka ordered removal of encroachment from the lake and subsequently ordered transfer of rights to the private party which laid claim to it.

“But, how can a common property, such as a lake, be transferred? The government’s inaction in 2016 has led to this situation now. Even now, when the case is ongoing, advocates representing the government either don’t show up or fail to produce the evidence,” said Sandeep Anirudhan of the federation.

Kadugodi councillor S. Muniswamy, who met the protesting residents on Sunday, promised to save the lake. However, BJP MLA for Mahadevpura Aravind Limbavali failed to show up, citing health reasons.

But the residents want the Chief Minister to also intervene and set up an inquiry commission into the issue. “This is our only recourse or else we will lose our lake forever,” said Mr. Anirudhan.

The residents, who are being supported by civic activism groups such as the Citizens Action Forum and Citizens for Bengaluru, said they would continue protests if no action is taken.