Lokayukta to pull up officials for breach in lake bund

Taking serious note of the destruction of Hulimavu lake bund here, Karnataka Lokayukta Justice P Vishwanath Shetty on Monday said he would take action against the officers and individuals involved in the breach.

"Based on reports, I decided to take suo motu action, Justice Shetty told people after visiting the area.

Hundreds of houses were inundated while many families were shifted to safety when some people damaged the lake bund on Sunday evening and the water flowed at great speed.

Hulimavu lake is one of the prominent water bodies of Bengaluru with an expanse of 126 acres.

The Lokayukta directed the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike officers to furnish a report in three weeks giving details about the persons responsible for the incident, the extent of damage and action required to be taken.

Meanwhile, the chief minister tweeted that the relief and rehabilitation has been taken up on a warfooting.

Strict directions have been given to make sure that such incidents are not repeated in future, the Chief Minister tweeted.

Various government agencies, including civic agencies, toiled hard to drain the water out of the houses that were flooded.

Ministers and the public representatives visited the spot and took stock of the situation.

The BJP Rajya Sabha member Rajeev Chandrasekhar too wrote to the Chief Minister demanding strict action against the contractor and officials responsible for criminal negligence leading to the breach of the lake.

The Chief Minister must immediately order a detailed enquiry into the matter and identify everyone responsible for this negligence, hold them accountable and take action against them," the BJP MP said.