Ambir Lake in the clutches of land sharks

Illegal encroachments are already rampant at the northern boundary of the Ambir Lake in Pragathi Nagar.

Land sharks have now extended their jaws in front of the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) in Pragathi Nagar have set up temporary stalls on the edge of the lake on the road connecting Pragathi Nagar and Aditya Nagar Colony.

Arun Vasireddy, a scientist and a bird lover, said, “No construction activity is allowed within the Full Tank Level (FTL) or the buffer zone of the lake as per the Supreme Court’s guidelines except for its beautification. In reality, the road connecting JNTU to Pragathi Nagar shouldn’t exist at all. On paper, the road connectivity to the panchayat is only from Bachupally-Gandi Maisamma Road. But this road was constructed 24 years ago illegally and is being heavily used.”

“Within the lake, numerous businesses are thriving which is silently leading to encroachment. Today, there is a nursery that is running 24x7 and the temporary Diwali stalls will most likely be later occupied by fruits and fish vendors. The western part is encroached upon by temples where numerous migratory birds used to nest previously. Now these birds have left and the rest are cramped for space. The veer is broken at one end when the Lake View Colony has been built. Abuses continue to thrash this excellent lake that is at the top of the Krishna river catchment area in Hyderabad,” the scientist added.

“This bad practice can commercially loot the lake as it is done on other lakes including the historic Hussain Sagar. It is a fact that police and municipality permissions are mandatory for setting up Diwali stalls. People wonder how these so called public bodies give permissions to set these up within the lake premises. Lakes are the backbone for Hyderabad's welfare.

These bad practices must be nipped in the bud or it will extend to other lakes and destroy priceless urban commodities," noted Arun Vasireddy.