By Bengaluru Town Hall

Copyright thehindu

Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has returned the Karnataka Tank Conservation and Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2025, seeking clarification from the State Government on its proposal to reduce the size of buffer zones for smaller water bodies. The Bill was passed in the monsoon session of the Karnataka legislature.

Mr. Gehlot said that he has received objections from the Bengaluru Town Hall association with request to give his assent to the Karnataka Tank Conservation and Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2025.

As per the Bill, the buffer zone is sought to be removed for tanks spread across less than five guntas while setting a three-metre buffer for tanks with an area between five guntas and one acre, six metres for tanks between one acre and ten acres, 13 metres for tanks between 10 acres and 25 acres, 24 metres for tanks between 25 acres and 100 acres, and 30 metres for tanks that are bigger than 100 acres.

For primary canals, the government has proposed to bring down the buffer zone from the current 30 metres to 15 metres. And for secondary canals from 15 metres to 10 metres and for tertiary canals from 10 metres to five metres.

Mr. Gehlot told the government, “As per the expert’s opinion, the existing lake buffer zone of 30 meters is itself insufficient, and the real requirement is nearly 300 meters to achieve ecosystem balance. If anything, the buffer zone should be increased, not decreased.” He added that the government had not consulted an expert committee and people about the implication of this amendment.

“It is in violation of the Constitution and settled law, and is harmful for every citizen, affects the citizen’s right to water security and a healthy environment,” he said.

It is necessary to get clarifications from the State Government about the issues raised by Bengaluru Town Hall and ‘also know whether this amendment will result in a really adverse effect’, he stated while returning the file to the government and directing it to re-submit the file along with clarifications.

Bengaluru Town Hall stated that the association is pleased to learn that the Governor has returned the amendment, which, it claims, ‘threatens the 45,000 lakes in Karnataka’.

“That the State Government could so frivolously attempt to make amendments that have such large-scale apocalypse-like consequences for both nature and the population of the State shows that the government is not working in the interests of the people of the State. This needs to change immediately. The government needs to be held accountable,“ said Sandeep Anirudhan, convenor for Bengaluru Town Hall.