India, Sept. 5 -- Karnataka Minister Eshwar Khandre on Friday warned that encroachments on lakes owned and maintained by gram panchayats would be removed without any leniency and criminal cases would be filed against encroachers.

He said immediate measures will be taken to clear encroachments covering 11,671 acres involving 4,828 lakes.

"Karnataka is the second state in the country with the largest extent of drought-prone land, and ensuring drinking water supply to rural areas remains a major challenge. Groundwater levels are declining continuously, and failure to protect surface water sources could lead to severe water scarcity in the future," Khandre, who holds the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj portfolio, said.

Speaking to repo...