3 July 2020
The High Court on stayed the government order to handover the Puttenahalli Lake Bird Conversation Reserve to the BBMP. A division bench of Chief Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Rangaswamy passed the order on a petition by Yelahanka Puttenahallo Lake and Bird Reservation Trust. The basic objective of the conservation reserve is to protect the land scape, flora and fauna and their habitat. The state cannot entrust the responsibility to the BBMP. We stay the operation of the impugned order insofar as this lake conservation reserve is concerned. We direct the state to place on record the action taken to reconstitute the conservation reserve management committee on July 20. – DHNS
The
Yelahanka Puttenahalli Lake is a paradise for bird watchers. A myriad range of bird
species inhabit the region.
49 bird species have been discovered breeding here. These include
Darters, Painted storks,
Black-crowned Night Herons, Purple Herons, Pond Herons, Egrets, Asian Openbill Storks,
Eurasian Spoonbills, Spot-billed Pelican,
Little Grebe, Little Cormorant, Spot-billed Ducks,
Purple Moorhen, Common Sandpiper and
other water birds.
The lake is prominent for being a bird-watching site, besides also being a
serene and recreational natural spot for its visitors. More than 7,000 birds
can be sighted during the breeding season and the avifauna also includes some
of the endangered and
migratory birds from the Northern Himalayas and Siberia. Many species which are
listed under threatened category of the International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN), find the lake as their preferred habitat during the breeding
season.
On a normal day, neighbourhood residents can be seen walking and occasionally
the bird watching enthusiasts and photographers are seen with their equipment
near the lake during early mornings when the birds fly out from their nests
spreading their wings. The surrounding trees get adorned with the winged
creatures perching on them. The lake has watch towers, trekking paths, guides
to identify birds for tourists and other basic facilities.
Protection and Conservation of Puttenahalli Lake, YelahankaThe lake along with a plant nursery housing many trees is managed by the Forest
Department. According to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), steps
are being taken to designate the lake water body as a protected area.
Earlier, the lake was under the Lake Development Authority (LDA) and was listed
for further development for commercial purposes under public-private
partnership model. The state government later
approved of withdrawing the lake from the LDA and the lake is in the process of
being declared as a conservation reserve. As a conservation reserve, the rich
bird population of the lake, which is so rare in an urban setting, will be
preserved. Eight residents from the neighbourhood too have started a trust
called Yelahanka Puttenahalli Lake & Bird Conservation Trust, to protect
the birds and work towards enriching the biodiversity in the lake. The
government and the trust are working together towards making the lake a
biodiversity spot and convert it into a Bird Reserve.