PNLIT steps away from Puttenahalli Lake maintenance after BBMP notice

After 15 years of maintaining Puttenahalli Lake, also known as Puttakere, in South Bengaluru, the Puttenahalli Neighbourhood Lake Improvement Trust (PNLIT) has stepped back from nurturing the lake following a notice from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

PNLIT played a key role in rejuvenating the 13-acre and 25-gunta lake in 2010. In 2011, the trust signed an MoU with the BBMP to maintain the lake with support from local residents.

From its neglected state in 2008, the lake flourished after restoration and began attracting numerous migratory and native birds. According to eBird data, 125 bird species, including the Oriental Darter and White-breasted Waterhen, have been recorded at the lake. Notably, 17 species, such as the spot-billed duck and Brahminy kite, have nested there. The lake is also home to 88 different tree species, totalling over 500 trees.

As per BBMP records, the civic body took over the lake’s maintenance from the Forest Department in 2008, which paved the way for its rejuvenation.

Usha Rajagopalan, co-founder of PNLIT, told The Hindu that BBMP lacked a post-rejuvenation plan, prompting her and local residents to establish PNLIT. “We signed an MoU with BBMP for lake maintenance from 2011 to 2014, and it was then renewed twice, in 2014 and 2017, lasting until 2020,” said Ms. Rajagopalan.

However, in 2020, the BBMP did not renew the MoU after the Karnataka High Court ruled that the government could not enter into such agreements (related to lakes) with corporate entities. The order, however, did not prohibit the government from accepting corporate funds for lake rejuvenation.

Ms. Rajagopalan mentioned that PNLIT filed an interlocutory application in response to the court’s order, and the hearing is still ongoing.

Even prior to this development, PNLIT had hired workers and had been maintaining the lake for over a decade. Ms. Rajagopalan emphasised that PNLIT is a registered charitable trust with 80G tax exemption for donors and is fully audited and tax-compliant. “Since we had filed an interlocutory application, we continued nurturing the lake and carried out timely pruning and other maintenance activities,” she told The Hindu.

However, in a notice dated June 10, the civic body directed PNLIT to remove all boards from the trees and to cease unauthorised work, in this case, pruning and other maintenance tasks. According to Ms. Rajagopalan, the PNLIT community was disheartened by the notice and decided to withdraw. “We can’t fight anymore; we have been fighting for more than a decade,” a devastated Ms. Rajagopalan told The Hindu.

A BBMP official from the lake division described PNLIT’s collection of funds for lake maintenance as “illegal,” which led to the issuance of the notice. “The High Court has barred us from such MoUs, and if this group is collecting money for lake maintenance, then isn’t it illegal?” the official asked.