Belagavi: Koliwad defends lake report

BELAGAVI: Defending certain contradictory recommendations made by the House committee on lake encroachments, Speaker K B Koliwad , who headed it, said it was only a recommendatory body and it was left to the legislature to take the issue to its logical end.

Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday, he described the committee report as comprehensive and one which would work as a baseline for information on lakes in and around Bengaluru as it had identified a number of them, besides storm water drains and small ponds and the  encroachment they had suffered in the city. Thankfully, 157 lakes and tanks have not been encroached on at all, according to him.

Asked why the committee had condoned government encroachments and tried to hold private encroachers accountable, Mr Koliwad explained it  had taken a humanitarian view of allotments made by the government on lake land. And even among private encroachments, it had recommended punishing only builders and not the innocent beneficiaries.

Asked about committee member, Suresh Kumar resigning from it, the Speaker said he was free to voice his views about its working style and he would look into it. “Mr Suresh Kumar was active during the meetings we held and when all the field visits were done, he sent me a letter saying  he was resigning from the committee. Although he promised to  meet me and talk to me about it, he never did,” he added.