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Sarakki lake: The cost of winning a battle against encroachment
May 07, 2015• By Juwairia Mehkri
Much was said and too little done to save what was once the ‘lake of thousand birds’, locally known as Savira Hakki, until recently.
It doesn’t come as a surprise when one hears stories of lakes being choked to death in the name of development. Sarakki Lake is one such story that has caught the attention of a considerable number of people who have been on their toes for three years to stop garbage and sewage water dumping in the lake.
Encroachment too, proved to be fatal to this ‘lake of thousand birds’. Spread across 87 acres, the lake suffered gross neglect as citizens and civic authorities alike abused it. While there may be JP Nagar’s own breed of silent spectators, a few concerned citizens came together three years ago to form Sarakki Lake Area Improvement Trust (SLAIT).
They have been working relentlessly ever since to get the authority to take cognizance of the deterioration the lake has suffered over the years.
After multiple legal deliberations, PILs and High Court directives, the Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF) razed hundreds of structures around the Sarakki Lake, spanning 34.84 acres April 16th onwards.
But eviction of residents wasn't what the members of SLAIT had anticipated. Some may call this a good wake up call. These lakes that were choked by encroachment will get a new lease of life. But, what about the scores of citizens who have lost the roof over their heads for no fault of theirs?
"After having fought hard for three years now, we were relieved to see some headway being made in the case, but we are saddened by what happened to all the innocent people who lost their houses," a SLAIT representative says.
A more sinister angle to the issue bears itself as the government resumes the task of clearing these 'encroachments'. The question that hangs as a sword over the heads of all the victims is this- who approved construction of these houses on a land that belonged to the lake? Who allowed such corruption to thrive heedlessly, only to wake up years later and take cognizance of the blunder? The residents who have lost their property are merely the rubble bearing the brunt under two warring oxen- the supposedly oblivious authorities and the corrupt government officials.
At Sarakki, approvals were given way before the BBMP or the BDA even came into picture, claims the SLAIT member. Permits were given by the Gram Panchayat as these localities didn't fall under the jurisdiction of any urban local body.
Private builders began developing properties in as early as 2000. Sarakki witnessed demolition of encroachments even in 2001, according to the SLAIT member. Post 2003, more properties began cropping up. This time, the settlements grew unabated.
Over two weeks after the demolition drive, residents have found temporary shelters in their relatives houses or have rented out places. But they are still anxious and are demanding answers from the government.
The debris have mostly been cleared out but what's remaining has been dumped on recently razed plots.
Fencing is yet to begin by the BDA but boundary stones have been erected soon after the demolition drive was over.
A long battle finally showing some results
There was the little that the authorities did until the high Court issued orders to clear encroachments last August. After SLAIT approached the BDA to rescue the lake, the authority promised to fence the lake first and then develop it. But the encroachments proved to be an impediment.
Moreover, the lake boundary remained unmarked until members of SLAIT took up the responsibility to prepare a survey map. They spent over six months at the tahsildar’s office, in which all the encroachments were also marked. Next step was to file a Public Interest Litigation, along with ‘People’s Campaign for Right to Water’ to clear the lake.
The secretary of SLAIT says that it could take well over a few years for the lake to be restored as the BWSSB still has to work out new sewage pipelines. The BBMP on the other hand has stated that, garbage segregation will cease once they relocate to another site, although incessant garbage dumping has considerably reduced.
Around 15 temple structures have been spared during the eviction drive and officials are of the opinion that these structures won’t be brought down as such a step could hurt sentiments of the community.
Environmental activists have been crying foul over such a decision as all the efforts to clear the encroachments will be rendered useless.