Global software major Infosys' philanthropic arm on Thursday said that it will restore the age-old Panchakalyani lake in Karnataka's Mandya district. "The Foundation will restore the lake by cleaning the tank, removing silt and waste deposit, ensuring structural and chemical conservation of Panchakalyani and a nearby tank called Ganeshan Honda, reconnecting the existing canals and building a compound wall," the city-based Infosys Foundation said in a statement.
Panchakalyani, about 140 km from Bengaluru, is said to be one of the largest ancient lakes of Melukote town, which has several water bodies situated on a hilltop through which rainwater has been harvested for consumption and irrigation for decades.
"The restoration project is important to improve the water quality of the lake and bring back the balance in the natural ecosystem of Melukote," Foundation Chairperson Sudha Murty said in a statement.
By preserving the lakes of Melukote, a town patronised by the empires of Hoysala, Vijayanagara and the Wodeyars of erstwhile Kingdom of Mysore, the heritage structures and legacy are also protected, Murty said.
This announcement from the Infosys Foundation comes days after Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy had asked top officials of the Karnataka Lake Development Authority to take up restoration of lakes in public-private partnership mode under corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
The CM was speaking at meeting between the lake body and office bearers of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry at his official residence.
He had directed the officers to prepare a DPR (detailed project report) after studying the ground realities and to take up these projects phase by phase in a time-bound manner under the corporate sector’s CSR initiatives.
This comes at a time when the Karnataka government is waging a fight against the steep fine imposed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), for not following procedures by a court-appointed panel in restoring the Bellandur and Varthur lakes. The state government also wants the buffer zones for lakes and storm water drains set by the NGT in its 2015 order, to be relaxed.
With IANS inputs