Hosakote Lake trashed, it’s tomatoes this time

It seems Hosakote lake has become the go-to destination to dump all kinds of waste material. On Saturday morning, a few people noticed a teenager dumping rotten tomatoes into the lake. They alerted lake activists, who rushed to the spot and caught the accused along with a goods auto, bearing registration number KA 53 B 7133. The vehicle was used to bring the rotten tomatoes to the lake.

“Police constables arrived at the spot as soon as we informed them about the illegal dumping of rotten tomatoes into the lake. The police took the accused along with the vehicle to the police station,’’ said Purushotham N, a lake activist.

He added that lake activists are disappointed because the police hesitate to act tough against the accused. “We have been filing complaints with the police against people dumping waste in the lake. All these days, they would register complaints and collect a small amount as penalty from the accused. We want the police to make the accused clear the waste from the lake as punishment,’’ he said. He also wondered how a teenager could drive a goods vehicle without a driving licence.

Speaking with Bangalore Mirror, Nagabhushana C S, a lake activist, said he wanted all the accused to remove 10 loads of waste for dumping one load of waste into the lake.

“I told the accused about the importance of preserving the lake and his role in protecting it. I also advised him to remove waste from the lake and not consider the task as a punishment, but rather to think of it as his contribution to keep the lake clean,’’ said Nagabhushana.

Meanwhile, Hosakote Police Circle Inspector Shivaraj has assured to take action against the accused person for dumping waste. “We will register a complaint and investigate the case. We will take action against the accused as per the law,’’ said Police Circle Inspector.

On May 17, Bangalore Mirror has published a story about how chicken waste has been dumped into the lake. Lake activists had caught the person dumping chicken waste into the lake and handed him over to the police. It is not known what action has been taken against the accused.