Delhi Tourism to revamp Naini Lake in Model Town

Naini Lake in Model Town may finally get a facelift, with the deadlock between the North Delhi Municipal Corporation and Delhi Tourism coming to an end.

Municipal sources said the North MCD has decided to allot the lake to Delhi Tourism and the Transport Development Corporation for five years.

Delhi Tourism minister Kapil Mishra said that while the priority of the department will be to revive the lake, the department has similar plans for other water bodies in the city which have been neglected over the years.

“Our priority is to ensure the revival of the lake and develop it as tourist spot for the locals and the youngsters from the Delhi University’s North Campus. We are in consultation with CR Babu, an ecologist, for revamp and the revival of bio-diversity in the lake,” said Mishra.

The tourism department had prepared an extensive plan for the lake, which remained neglected for many years.

Last year, the Delhi government had decided to beautify the lake and revive it ecologically. The plan, however, did not take off since the lake was being maintained by the Delhi Tourism department.

Sources have now confirmed that the latter will now take up the revival project.

“The North MCD will continue to be the governing agency of the lake. However, it will be allotted to the tourism department, making it responsible for its management and upkeep,” said a municipal official.

The move will be a major win for the residents of Model Town as they have been batting for the revival of the lake.

The official said DTTDC will, however, continue to share its revenue with the municipal corporation. “The tourism department will be responsible for security of the lake and park, forming policies and fixing charges,” he said.

Sources in Delhi Tourism said that the department is also mulling to install a water recycling plant to ensure the lake doesn’t dry up in future.

There are nearly 600 water bodies in Delhi but most of them are ecologically dead and encroached upon by illegal builders and residents of the neighbourhood. Several petitions filed in the National Green Tribunal have raised concerns about the plight of the dying water bodies. Environmentalists have also linked the cause to the risk of flooding, similar to what was seen in Chennai last year.