The lake has just been handed over to the BBMP from the forest department. Residents are unhappy with the condition of the lake.
No pathways, broken fencing, disfunctional street lights, polluted water, open sewers, illegal fishing, all these are the sights which awaits visitors and residents near Hebbal lake.
Shanta Kumar, a resident of the area said that his main mode of transportation is BMTC buses. He said that to board a bus at the bus stand which is near the lake, passengers have to walk half a kilometer to Esteem Mall. “Usually, passengers get down at Hebbal flyover and have to walk in the dark at night. It is very dangerous for people as they might trip and fall, due to insufficient lighting,” he said.
Raghavendra Shetty a resident of Hebbal who owns a restaurant in Hebbal said that residents of the area complained to the forest department regarding the issue previously. It is very difficult for pedestrians at night to go to a bus stop or just to walk around the lake.
He added, “When the lake was under the Forest Department,they always gave excuse of low funds. But what excuse Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has, to not even start any work?”
The lake is closed for visitors officially, but there is illegal fishing going on in the lake. People walk in and out of the enclosure at will since there is no security guard appointed for the lake to stop them.
Shashi Devi, who runs a sugarcane juice shop beside the gate said, “Officially the lake is closed for the visitors, but people who come here for fishing usually open and close the gate by themselves.”
Ramrao, who is the guard at a car show room located beside the lake said, “There is no guard appointed for the lake that is why slums have emerged around the lake. Illegal fishing goes on but there are no checks by the authority.”
In April 2008, Environment Support Group (ESG) an NGO filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against the privatisation of lakes in the Karnataka High Court. The High Court passed an order restraining the government and private parties from proceeding with any further investment or development of lakes based on the privatisation (PPP) model. In November 2023, Hebbal Lake was handed over to the BBMP.
Venkatesh, Chief Engineer of BBMP (Lakes) said, “It has only been around two months since we got the full authority of the lake. We will release the tenders soon, the process is a little slow but work will be done in due time.”
Vikram Bhat, an urban planner who works in Bangalore, expressed his unhappiness over the management of the lake. He said, “Due to its location, it has so much potential but it is all wasted due to mismanagement by the authorities. The three streamswhich used to rejuvenate the lake, were channelized towards the residential areas. While sewers of the surrounding areas still pour their waste in the lake. It had a potential to be developed like the Sankey Tank but no conducive steps were taken in that direction. There should be a visitor’s fee applied so that footfall is controlled and increases funds for the lake.”
He added that if common people were involved in the upkeep of the lake, matters might improve. They might ask questions, keep the authority under check.
Raghavendra, a lake conservationist who is a part of Action Aid said, “In 2008 Hebbal lake was given under Public Private Partnership model (PPP) to Oberoi group. After the 2012 Karnataka high court judgment, the government was asked to take the lake back from private companies. Since the private players invested money in the lakes, they were given an extended term period of ten years. But since Oberoi group never did any development in the lake, therefore it is left in that state since then.” He added that in the whole process the government machinery forgot that there was a system of storm water drain that was working very well before.
