HSR residents walk to save Somasundara Palya Lake

by October 7, 2012 Environment

Residents, pained by the state of Haralukunte Lake, organised a walk to demand the lake be saved. Months of inaction by BDA and state government has seen large sections of the lake encroached.

On 7th October, the HSRx Federation organised a walkathon to the Somasundara Palya lake. More than 300 residents were there to demand that the lake be saved from encroachment and restored to its natural state. The walkathon started from Somasundara Palya circle (via DHL, Smart Retail store, EB power grid, turned left near Parangipalya Road and ended at the lake.

Related articles:

ABiDE member Dr Ashwin Mahesh said with more problems to be fixed in our neighbourhoods, they can be solved only by increasing the number of problem solvers. Tahsildar Harishilpa, who is responsible for clearing lake encroachments also joined the walkathon and said she was happy to see such enthusiasm especially from newer Bangaloreans. She promised support with surveying the lake boundaries.

$(document).ready(function(){ $(‘.carousel .carousel-inner .item’).first().attr(‘class’, ‘active item’);});

MLA Satish Reddy also spoke briefly. He promised all help to resolve the lake issues. He said BDA should complete the work by October 20th and also said he will use his MLA funds to support this. He had agreed to look into the lake problems in an earlier meeting in March this year.

The HSRx federation has been campaigning the last few month, to save the lake. BDA had earlier instructed HSR Police to seize debris dumping lorries to prevent more encroachment. They had also promised to deploy security guards to monitor lake. BDA had also asked Tahsildar to remove encroachments, but this has not yet been done. Residents say debris continues to be dumped into the lakebed at night and illegal structures are getting built on the lakebed.

The HSR-X Federation, formed by a group of apartments in Somasundara Palya has in the past taken up activities like
1. Lobbying to solve the issue of a portion of land on 27th Main Road part of army area.
2. Clearing illegal humps in Haralur Road (towards Sarjapur)
3. Restricting heavy transport vehicles in the area
4. Clearing garbage dump spots.
5. Fixing non-working streetlights and adding new street lights.
6. Voter id drive

The federation is now working on
1. Reviving their lake to ensure self-sustenance of water in the area
2. Khata processing
3. Kaveri water connection
4. Tarring 27th main road
5. Road repairs/tarring in Somasundara Palya roads
6. Addressing garbage issues of the area
7. Making the area more safe and secure

⊕

Sections:

About News Desk

The News Desk at Citizen Matters puts out Press Releases, notifications and curated information useful to the urban reader.
Read more by News Desk

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Similar Story

Cyclone Fengal in Chennai: Some areas badly impacted, others hold steady

by December 2, 2024 Environment
This photo essay depicts how Cyclone Fengal exposed the shortfalls in rain preparedness and civic infrastructure.

Whenever rainstorms hit and the Adyar River swells, the residents living beneath the Saidapet Bridge hold their breath, silently praying for reprieve. The haunting memories of the catastrophic 2015 floods, when the river overflowed and submerged the bridge, still linger. Many homes were inundated and belongings were swept away, leaving a lasting impact on the community. This happened again during the December 2023 floods. That's why, residents here live in constant fear. On Saturday, as Cyclone Fengal brought severe thunderstorms and gusty winds over Chennai, they just clung to hope that the flood waters would not reach their homes. Read…

Continue reading

Similar Story

Explained: How air pollution levels are monitored in Chennai and what the data implies

by November 29, 2024 Environment
Chennai’s air quality poses serious health risks. More monitoring stations and improved public communication are urgently needed.

As winter sets in, the issue of air pollution once again takes centre stage, especially in cities like Delhi, where air quality worsens, affecting residents' health. Though attention has traditionally focused on northern cities, recent studies have raised growing concerns about the air quality in southern cities like Chennai. A recent study by the Lancet Planetary Health reveals troubling findings, showing that Chennai, despite having lower levels of air pollution compared to the cities in northern India, faces a significantly high mortality risk. The city, with an annual PM-2.5 (fine particulate matter) level of 33.7 micrograms per cubic meter, is…

Continue reading