Bengaluru: Dying lakes, unattended garbage and unbridled construction became points of a discussion with Union Minister of State for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar during his visit to the sprawling Sankey Tank on Saturday morning.

Combining the morning walk with an interactive session with residents, the Minister spent nearly 45 minutes by the lake. Members of the Sankey Park Walkers’ Association brought to his attention the plastic bottles that lay in the seemingly idyllic lake.

“Lakes across Bengaluru are dying as there are no canals interlinking them. Sewage has been let into lakes, including Sankey Tank,” said Meenakshi Bharath, solid waste management expert and a resident of the area.

Pointing out a project that would see high-rise apartments abutting the tank, Dr A R Anand, president of the STWA, presented a memorandum to Javadekar, requesting him to ensure that no highrise building comes up near the lake as it affect the eco-system.

The Minister asked the walkers to submit a petition and assured them that the Centre will take up the matter with the State government.

Eight years ago as well, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board had denied permission to a private realtor to construct a highrise commercial complex in the lake’s vicinity. To ensure that such projects do not come up in future, the association urged the minister to issue strict instructions.

Members of the Solid Waste Management Round Table also gave a memorandum to Javadekar, requesting him to pay attention to solid waste management in the City. They urged him to ensure that there are proper rules on solid waste management.