Greater Bengaluru Authority recovers encroached land at Hebbal and Nagawara lakes

Bengaluru: Over 10 acres of land at the Hebbal lake premises, that was reportedly encroached upon by a govt entity, has been recovered by Greater Bengaluru Authority which is currently in the process of redeveloping the lake.

According to a senior GBA official, the Fisheries Research and Information Centre located next to the lake was allotted around one acre of land. However, the centre had made use of over 10 acres of the lake’s land for fish breeding. This had even blocked the lake’s inlet and diverted water flow, the official said.

Under the supervision of the GBA’s Project Implementation Unit (PIU), the land has now been recovered and is being converted into wetlands to receive water into Hebbal lake. GBA is redeveloping Hebbal lake and six others with financial assistance from the World Bank.

Apart from desilting, other works planned in the lake premises include construction of inlets and outlets, walking track and wetlands.

Island being built in Nagawara lake

In the Nagawara lake premises, over 11 acres of encroached land was recovered by GBA. “The land parcel, which was under litigation, was earlier acquired from some individuals. Even as the records reflected the corporation’s name, only the Pahani (a record of rights, tenancy and crops) reflected their name as it was not changed there,” a GBA official said, without naming the individuals.

Using the lake’s silt within the premises, GBA is also building a unique island within the lake. The initiative has piqued curiosity among city residents and netizens after drone visuals of the lake were shared on social media. “The move is aimed at reducing the cost of transportation of silt to the Mittaganahalli landfill located around 15km from the lake,” a senior GBA official said.

“We wanted to use the silt here without reducing the lake’s holding capacity. The plan includes a large island with a pond within. The island has a spiral base, which helps retain the lake’s holding capacity,” she added.