BDA yet to finish sluice gate project at Varthur

Bengaluru: The trial run of sluice gates at Bellandur Lake on July 15 was successful with hardly any sign of froth at the exit point of the lake. However, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), which has missed the deadline for the trial run at Varthur Lake, has postponed it again to July-end, while it was expected to demonstrate the flood gates in the first week of this month.

BDA officials, who are buoyed by the success at Bellandur Lake, are confident getting the results they expect at Varthur Lake too. “We do expect the same results, but cannot say anything till we do the trial run. We are 90 percent confident of meeting the desired results. But, there is a 10 percent chance of not getting it right,” said Engineer Member, BDA, B.S. Shivakumar.

The BDA cited the delay in the Varthur Lake project to the construction of a bridge at Varthur. The residents had complained a couple of months ago that the bridge had become weak. Later, the BBMP agreed to take up the repair work.

The residents complained that there have been delays in the bridge repair works, the sluice gate project and desilting of lakebed, which has been given to the minor irrigation department.

“The sluice gates are just a band-aid. The BDA is not looking at the root cause of frothing. Looking at the pace at which desilting work is being done, the minor irrigation department might take years to complete it. They are using only one earthmover. Over the last 15 days, the pace has further reduced,” said Mr Jagadish Reddy, a member of Varthur Rising. The cost of the sluice gate project is put at Rs 22 crore, for which the BDA floated the tenders in December last year.