Repair work at Sukhna keeps visitors away

The residents,meanwhile,grow increasingly irate as the condition of the lake continues to deteriorate. Gesu Jaiswal,a student,was shocked when she visited the lake after a gap of some time. “The Administration is sleeping,” said Satyan,a college student. Vanita Talwar,a member of the Lake Club,said,“The lake is one of the most beautiful man-made attractions in Chandigarh and as an old citizen of the city,my heart bleeds to see it drying up.” She blamed the government for failing to check deforestation and increasing the lake area on a large scale over the years,as trees and plants that held the soil together were cut down to make way for it.

While there has been no substantial drop in the sale of boating tickets,a staffer manning the boating ticket booth revealed that the area demarked for boating has decreased to a great extent due to presence of weed and grass. The “unclean” area has been cordoned off with ropes. He,however,expressed satisfaction and said,“Now it is easy to keep a watch on boats and see that they do not go far away.”

Construction and maintenance activities at the lake have also taken their toll. Though minor repairs are being affected at the Lake Club end,heavy construction is going on at the regulator end. While the soil dredged up during the desilting process is being dumped along the “road” leading to the area,the fine sand and cement blowing around the area is a threat to ecology.