Justice Saldanha to move against Horticulture Department officials who have allegedly benefited from sale

Fishes in Lotus Pond sold for Rs 3 lakh

Justice Saldanha to move against Horticulture Department officials who have allegedly benefited from sale

A month ago, after the rains left hundreds of fishes dead in Lotus Pond for want of oxygen and increasing pollution, Justice M F Saldanha and few other concerned citizens introduced fishes, birds, vegetation in the pond in order to restore the ecological balance.

Sadly, fishes from the pond that include the ones that were introduced by Justice Saldanha, have been sold by officials of the Horticulture Department for Rs 3 lakh on Monday. The Lotus Pond, which is also known as the Bird Ashram or Bird Orphanage of Bangalore for the past seven years is losing its beauty gradually.

"I spent thousands of rupees on purchasing water birds andu00a0fishes and wrote hundreds of letters to the Horticulture Department to block the inflow of polluted water into the pond. Nothing has come of all the efforts till date. In the third week of April, experts and workmen who had come to repair the pond were beaten up and thrown out of the place by security personnel deployed by the director and deputy director of the Horticulture Department," said Justice Saldanha.

"Apart from the fishes, 13 geese, 28 ducks and 17 turtles and tortoises were also removed from the pond on May 10. The wall of the pond has been deliberately broken and 80 per cent of the water has been drained in order to kill the water birds. "Thousands of fishes, which were in the pond have been sold for Rs 3 lakh by the horticulture officials. I want them to credit the amount to the department's account," said Saldanha. He now plans to approach the Lokayukta for help in tackling the issue.

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels