Karnataka Court Orders Panel for Sarakki Lake Cleanup
The Karnataka High Court has directed the state's Chief Secretary to form a committee to oversee the removal of illegal encroachments from the Sarakki Lake buffer zone. The panel's mandate is to enforce environmental regulations by dismantling illegal structures. This action addresses long-standing concerns about the Bengaluru lake's ecological health.
- The court order, issued on February 20, 2026, by a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C.M. Poonacha, is the result of a Public Interest Litigation filed in 2023 by the Sarakki Lake Area Improvement Trust (SLAIT). - This legal action follows a history of court interventions, including a 2014 High Court order that led to a major demolition drive in April 2015 to clear 135 identified encroachments from 34 acres of the lake area. - The newly mandated committee will include representatives from the Greater Bengaluru Authority, the Deputy Commissioner of the Bengaluru Urban district, and the Tank Development Authority. - The panel has been given a three-month deadline to report back to the court on the progress of removing illegal constructions within the lake's 30-meter buffer zone. - Sarakki Lake, once known as "Savira Hakki" (a thousand birds), has shrunk from approximately 84 acres to under 60 due to illegal construction and the daily influx of untreated sewage and debris. - Citizen-led groups have been central to the lake's preservation efforts since 2012, spearheading legal challenges and restoration initiatives. - Despite past restoration efforts costing over Rs 100 crore, the lake continues to suffer from pollution, with incidents of large-scale fish kills reported as recently as late 2022 due to sewage inflow. - The court observed that even structures built with a sanctioned plan could be deemed illegal if they violate the mandated 30-meter buffer zone established under the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act.
