Lokayukta Pulls Up Bengaluru South Officials Over Uncleared Lake Encroachments

Lokayukta Justice B S Patil has pulled up the Bengaluru South district administration for failing to remove encroachments on lakes across all taluks of the district, warning that stern action will follow if prompt measures are not initiated.

According to an official statement issued on Monday, more than 100 lakes remain encroached in nearly every taluk of the district, with the exception of Magadi taluk. The Lokayukta noted that cases concerning lake encroachments in Bengaluru South district, which abuts Bengaluru Urban district, were initially registered in 2018, yet officials have shown little progress despite repeated notices, particularly regarding revenue department matters.

Official figures revealed significant backlogs across the district's water bodies. In Channapatna taluk, encroachments on 207 out of 413 lakes are yet to be removed. In Harohalli taluk, 115 out of 181 lakes have been encroached upon, with authorities clearing encroachments on only 13 lakes so far.

Similarly, Kanakapura taluk has recorded encroachments on 180 out of 313 lakes, of which 42 have been cleared. In Ramanagara taluk, 190 lakes were encroached out of a total of 265, and encroachments on 35 lakes have been cleared to date. In Magadi taluk, encroachments on 25 lakes out of 220 remain to be cleared.

Copies of the proceedings have been marked to the Chief Secretary and the Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru South district to ensure accountability and track further action.

During the hearing, local tahsildars appeared before the Lokayukta and promised to take prompt action and submit a compliance report in the near future.