Mysuru: Deputy Commissioner D. Randeep has instructed the Kukkarahalli Lake Expert Committee to submit a pre-feasibility report within a week regarding setting up of a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) at Kukkarahalli Lake and installing a 7.5 km pipeline to draw sewage water from Hebbal Industrial Area and surrounding areas to be treated at Kukkarahalli STP.

Presiding over the meeting with the Expert Committee at his office this morning,  DC Randeep discussed three issues with respect to drawing sewage water from Hebbal area and treating the same before being let into Kukkarahalli Lake, installation of 7.5 km pipeline for the purpose, setting up an STP and constructing basic facilities at the lake premises.

Members of the Expert Committee, while discussing on the issue, said that Rs. 3.5 crore was the estimated money to install a pipeline from Hebbal to Kukkarahalli Lake and  added that over Rs. 9 crore would be needed to construct an STP on 1.5 acre of land at Kukkarahalli Lake.

Later, Randeep said that so much funding would be a problem and urged the committee to come out with alternative plans to reduce the expenditure. To this, MCC Superintending Engineer Suresh Babu said that the STP could be constructed at a much lower cost than Rs. 9 crore. Committee Member and environmentalist U.N. Ravi Kumar suggested the DC to extend the pipeline till Lingambudhi Lake to which the DC replied he will look into the matter.

The DC instructed the committee to discuss on the issues and come out with a pre-feasibility report within a week and added that a Detailed Project Report (DPR) would be submitted through Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) to the government for approval.

The meeting discussed the construction of basic facilities such as toilets at the Lake premises. Randeep urged University of Mysore to utilise the remaining funds of Rs. 1.35 crore out of Rs. 3 crore released by Lake Development Authority (Rs. 1 crore) and Tourism Department (Rs. 2 crore) for construction of toilets and make the service free of cost.  He also suggested that University could also handover the facility to private companies for maintenance under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme.

KSPCB Environmental Scientist Geetha, University of Mysore Engineering Department Executive Engineer Kishore Chandra, Assistant Executive Engineer Shivalingaprasad, Kukkarahalli Lake Protection Committee Convenor Prof. K.M. Jayaramaiah and others were present.