A multinational soft-drinks major and two tech parks are among the 73 encroachers named by the legislature committee constituted to study and ascertain the extent of lake encroachments in and around Bengaluru. The committee has stated 10,785 acres - or, nearly 18% - of lake area has been encroached in Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts.

The committee, headed by speaker KB Koliwad and was constituted three years ago, tabled its 247-page report in the assembly on Tuesday. The report, based on studies pertaining to 1,547 lakes in and around Bengaluru, has emphasised the need for an effective plan to contain encroachments. "Encroachment (is) on such a massive scale that it is difficult to reclaim the (lost) land," the committee has stated, attributing the loss of lakes to the greed of land developers and official apathy.

Of the total of 57,932 acres of lake area in Bengaluru City and Bengaluru Rural, 10,785 acres have been encroached, leaving 46,289 acres intact.