123 Kolkata: The KMC environment department is set to launch a major clean-up of Bikramgarh Jheel from March. A work order for the mammoth task has already been passed. According to a KMC source, an on-the-spot survey of the lake will be conducted by a civic team before the cleaning starts.
The civic bosses have planned to resume restoration of Bikram Jheel, which has been in a shambles for the past 10 years, after a restoration project got halted all of a sudden. According to Swapan Samaddar, the MMiC overseeing the KMC environment department, the civic body has received Rs 3.5 crore from the Centre under AMRUT for the restoration of the jheel.
Besides clearing tonnes of hyacinth, the contractor engaged in the restoration will be asked to conduct a desilting drive to enhance the water-bearing capacity of the water body. "One of the largest lakes of the city is now invisible to the naked eye due to heavy siltation and deposition of hyacinth. We will need to remove tonnes of hyacinth and conduct a major desilting drive to give Bikramgarh a fresh lease of life," said a KMC official.
The 14-acre lake, the second-largest in south Kolkata after Rabindra Sarobar, was the pride of the neighbourhood and a favourite pitstop for migratory birds till three decades ago. But persistent neglect the civic body over the years and the greed of local builders have ensured a loss of 6 acres, with land sharks eyeing more of the jheel.
"Saal logs were piled along the edge of the Jheel after a compromise decision was reached that any construction carried out on reclaimed land would be overlooked, as any attempt to demolish any construction would lead to legal, political, and social problems. We thought the demarcation of the lake by planting the saal logs would prevent further encroachment. We were mistaken," said Dipak Bhattacharjee, who was secretary of the now disbanded Save-the-Jheel Committee.
The encroached area to the west of the jheel, on which the garages were set up, has gradually increased and now houses over 33 car workshops. Houses located along the edge have also resorted to encroachment, as have local clubs and businesses.
"There is an adjoining marshy plot, again a portion of the jheel, that KMC took over in 2003. But since no restoration was carried out, local promoters are now attempting to develop the plot with fake documents," alleged Biswajit Dey, a local.
According to Trinamool councillor Tapan Dasgupta, who ran from pillar to post to save the jheel, the KMC environment department should utilise the funds for the restoration without delay.
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