They said the road connects Hosakerehalli to other parts of the city, educational institutions and hospitals in the area. However, commuting on the stretch has become a daily hardship for residents due to its appalling state.
KSPCB officials told BM that a show cause notice will be issued to the violators and action will be taken against them. However, BBMP’s Lake Department will have to ensure the security and safety of the lake area.
Used syringes, expired medicines, cast-off gloves with blood stains, urine and blood samples, and hospital bills were only some of the bio-medical waste items discarded not just within the lake and its boundary, but also on the road adjacent to it.
Experts said that often the forest department jumps into an operation unprepared. “The department has recently gifted many young camp elephants to other states and has pressed retired elephants in elephant-capturing operations even in the past. No public consultations are done and unilateral decisions are being taken. Wildlife is not a commodity for exchange and capturing elephants is no way to resolve human-elephant conflict,” added Das.
Officials had informed residents that development work would be taken up after the monsoon. However, the civic agency has not even lifted a finger since then. Locals said the lake has been abandoned: ‘it has become a garbage dumping ground. Untreated sewage is being diverted from a nearby residential apartment complex’.