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Ganesh lake in Navi Mumbai to get a ₹3.5 crore makeover
The Panvel City Municipal Corporation (PCMC) is all set to give a facelift to the water bodies in the gaothan areas under its jurisdiction. The work is expected
The Panvel City Municipal Corporation (PCMC) is all set to give a facelift to the water bodies in the gaothan areas under its jurisdiction. The work is expected to be completed by 2020.
Ganesh lake at Sector 15 in Kharghar will be the first lake to be taken up for beautification at a cost of ₹3.5 crore.
According to the civic body, ₹25 crore has been allocated for the entire project.
Ghat development, musical fountain, promenade among others will be taken up in the beautification plan.
Online tenders will be floated for the project soon. The revamp work will be taken up after the state elections.
The agency that would be appointed for carrying out the restoration work will be given 12 months to complete the restoration work.
Once it is done, the revamped lake premise would be thrown open for the public by the end of 2020.
There are around 20 lakes in 23 villages. The nodal areas fall under the jurisdiction of City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco), but PCMC has taken up restoration work of water bodies.
Ganesh Deshmukh, civic chief, PCMC, said, “Water bodies are an important part of the ecosystem. We would revive and restore the lakes in gaothan areas.”
“Along with allocating a separate budget for the beautification work, we will also conduct a survey on the type of restoration work needed for each of the lakes,” said Deshmukh.
Ganesh Lake is the only natural lake at Kopra adjoining Sion-Panvel highway.
Spread over an area of 1.5 acres, the decade-old lake is a major attraction for residents. However, the lake has become a ground for dumping and illegal encroachments over the years.
“The lake used to be an important source of water for Kopra a few years ago. The entire lake was surrounded with trees which invited a number of birds. Concretisation took a toll on the lake which otherwise used to be green and clean,” said Vinod Narvekar, 40, a Kharghar resident.
Sanjay Katekar, city engineer, PCMC, said, “We have taken up restoration work of the water bodies in Panvel and Kharghar. While work of Devale Lake is complete, Vadale and Krishnale Lake is still going on and will be completed soon.”
This will be the first time that restoration work would be done for Ganesh lake by PCMC. Before this, some minor repair work was carried out by Panvel Municipal Council.
The water bodies in PCMC node have been neglected for a long time.
Vithal Ranaware, 60, an environmentalist, said, “Navi Mumbai used to have many wetlands. Panvel and Kharghar had many creeks and lakes. “
“Rapid urbanisation claimed all water bodies and lakes in the node, leaving behind a concrete trail,” said Ranaware. He has been living in Navi Mumbai for more than two decades.
