The Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru has been urged to divest the University of Mysore of its responsibility of managing the Kukkarahalli lake.
In a letter to the DC, the founding working president of Mysore Grahakara Parishat Bhamy V. Shenoy said that the management of the lake should be handed over to the Forest Department. Mr. Shenoy said the Forest Department has done a ‘’reasonably good job’’ of taking care of Lingambudhi lake and hence, it made reason to hand over the management of the Kukkarahalli lake to a ‘’more competent’’ authority, said Mr. Shenoy. ‘’One can write a whole book on why Mysore university should accept this simple and easily doable suggestion,’’ he added.
The letter to the DC said that the UoM has not produced any proof as to how the ownership of the lake was transferred to it or whether it was leased to it for the sake of research or was it part of the swathe of land that was donated by the princely State when the varsity was established.
Mr. Shenoy also wondered whether the UoM, being an academic institution with various departments, had carried out any research on the health of the lake and pointed out that if the Poornaiah canal was not restored by clearing the encroachment, the lake would be lost for posterity.
The attention of the DC was also drawn to the building constructions on the lake precincts that was authorised by the varsity in violation of the environmental law and it was stopped by the intervention of the NGOs. The DC was also urged to ascertain if the UoM has conducted any research on the sustainability of the lake and its biodiversity or the role of the citizens in saving it.
