“The Clarion call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to develop 75 lakes in every district is a shot in the arm for all citizens & Karyakartas who have relentlessly worked in the past for saving & protecting lakes” said Rajeev Chandrasekhar as he inspected 3 lakes namely Gubalala, Kempambhudikere & Mestripalya lake at Bengaluru on Tuesday, 12th April. The PM’s vision of Amrit Khere is being fulfilled by the BJP Government in Karnataka. The lakes that suffered from rampant neglect & were left to die slow death under previous governments have been actively taken up for development and rejuvenation, he added

The Minister, accompanied by Bengaluru south MLA, visited the Gubalala lake which has undergone a significant transformation with removal of Debris, Encroachment, strengthening of embankments, construction of pathway etc.  It is expected that the lake shall get fully rejuvenated during the rainy season. The nearby Residents, who actively supported the Minister in his United Bengaluru campaign started few years back for saving lakes when he was an MP, reached on spot and conveyed their gratitude to the Minister.

The Minister took to his social media handle and uploaded pics of the lakes clicked few years back in deplorable condition & latest pic with all the improvement work. He also criticised the lackadaisical approach of the previous Governments in conserving these water bodies that are an important part of ecosystem.

The Minister also visited the historic kempambhudi kere lake and inspected the recently built Sewage Treatment Plant. The Minister took note of remaining encroachments and was apprised about the status of ongoing litigation in the matter. He held discussions with Uday Garudachar , MLA Chickpete constituency and Ravi Subramanya, Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Basavanagudi, Karnataka along with BBMP officials present on site. He also suggested re-development of the deer park adjacent to the water body which shall serve as an attraction for tourists.

The Minister ended his lake visits by inspecting the Mestripalya lake, a lake which remained the focal point of a long drawn legal battle between BDA and private parties that staked ownership claim over land. The Mestripalya Lake was under dispute for a long time, with the BDA having almost encroached 6.21 acres of the total 16.4 acre-lake bed. The Authority had allotted sites formed on the encroached land to six legislators. To save lung space in the area, members of the Koramangala Ill Block Residents' Welfare Association filed a writ petition in 2005 demanding that the BDA should not allot 6.21 acre of land to anyone but preserve it for open space, park, playground etc. Finally, due to the collective efforts of Resident Welfare Association and Rajeev Chandrasekhar, a citizen monitoring committee was constituted to monitor the rejuvenation works of the lake.  The Minister, who was greeted by the RWA members on his arrival, directed the BBMP officials to timely finish the rejuvenation & development works of lake which are in the final phase before the rainy season. He further affirmed that he was just a phone call away in case any help is required at his end.

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