Centre promises funds to revive B’luru lakes

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, June 15, 2016, DHNS: Union Minister for Environment and Forests Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday promised to extend all help to rejuvenate the lakes in Bengaluru and asked the Karnataka government to complete the task in a time-bound manner.

Reviewing the progress of the lake revival programme in Bengaluru, along with the officials of the Ministry of Environment and the state government, Javadekar advised Karnataka to take steps to block the entry of sewage water into lakes by setting up sewage treatment plants and de-silt water bodies frequently. The government should involve local communities for the maintenance of lakes, he said.

In the meeting attended by Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Ananth Kumar  and Karnataka Forest and Environment Minister Ramanath Rai, state officials made a detailed presentation on the steps taken to rejuvenate the lakes.

Emerging from the meeting, Javadekar said that in the first phase, the state government will rejuvenate Agara, Puttenahalli and Madivala lakes as a model project in two years. On its successful completion, other lakes in the city will be developed in a phased manner.

The Union government will provide funds for the project under the Centrally-sponsored Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation, he said. Karnataka Forest Minister Ramanath Rai said the government had suggested to the Centre to amend the law suitably to punish those who pollute lakes by dumping residential and industrial waste.

The state government changed the nomenclature of Lake Development Authority to Lake Conservation and Development Authority by giving more powers to the agency and bringing more lakes under its ambit, Rai explained.

He said the state government plans to utilise a portion of the Rs 5,100-crore loan borrowed from Japan International Cooperation Agency for providing drinking water in the 110 newly added villages under the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike and to set up sewage treatment plants at lakes.