Open letter from PNLIT

18th June 2010

Dear friends,

We are writing to let you know about a new development in our neighbourhood, and to seek your support and participation in making this a success.

Recently, a few of us from the ‘Save Our Lake’ group of L&T South City and Brigade Millennium formed the Puttenahalli Neighbourhood Lake Improvement Trust (PNLIT), and formally registered it under the Trust Act of the Government of Karnataka - Regn No. BNG(U)-JPN 129/2010-11.

Many of you know that we have been working to restore Puttenahalli Lake, and turn it into a place of conservation and recreation amidst our homes.

See these links:

Kere in Crisis

Residents partner with BBMP to save a lake

Saving up rain for a dry day

Thanks to the BBMP, allied agencies and individuals, this restoration is now showing visible signs of success. In consultation with the BBMP and experts in the field, we have drawn up a list of flowering and fruiting trees that will attract birds to roost and nest. The PNLIT will procure these saplings from BBMP and private nurseries.

Given that PNLIT has been involved in the revival of the Puttenahalli Lake, right from getting it included in BBMP's list of lakes to be restored, we are confident that the management of the area and maintenance of the lake will be entrusted to us.

Our initial focus has been the lake and we would like to expand the range of work that we can do together in our neighbourhood.

Through PNLIT, we plan to engage in four kinds of work, which we believe will benefit a large number of people in the region around the lake.

(a) We will continue our work in environment protection and take up specific initiatives for the conservation of the natural environment in the area. We will do this through specific projects in the natural environment, such as the ongoing lake restoration, where we are looking to 'Create a Habitat for all', ‘Invite the denizens back – the birds, the bees and the rest’, and also through energy and environment projects in the built environment (energy efficient lighting, water conservation, waste management, etc.).

(b) We will make specific interventions to boost the economy of the area, and to promote the small businesses that have located here. We will create partnership programs with local businesses that contribute to the overall health of the area, and in turn we will endeavour to deliver economic value to the businesses themselves. We are talking to a few businesses already to see how to tailor this aspect of our work, and we will keep you informed of our progress.

(c) PNLIT will also be a strong partner to the charitable efforts of individuals and organisations in the area, supporting non-profit work through grants and other means. This, we believe, will make our neighbourhood a more hospitable place for all people.

(d) We will create educational programs that promote social and economic objectives for the neighbourhood, and disseminate this information to the homes and businesses in the area.

By pursuing these objectives together, we can build a showcase neighbourhood initiative, and be a trend-setting region of our city. We invite each of you to contribute to PNLIT generously, and make this dream take shape before our eyes.

We are happy to report that the initial response to PNLIT and its proposed activities has been very encouraging, and we hope that each of you will take the initiative to add to this momentum. Together we can make Puttenahalli Lake and the region around it a model area.

With warm regards,
First Trustees of PNLIT
Usha Rajagopalan (South City B3 502), Arathi Manay (Brigade Millennium A416), Prasanna K. Vynatheya (Brigade Millennium C1407), O.P. Ramaswamy (Brigade Millennium A917)