Improve facilities at Sukhna Lake: HC

Tribune News Service

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Chandigarh, October 10

Just about 48 hours after the poor facilities at Sukhna Lake were underscored in these columns, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the UT Administration and other respondents to provide better amenities.

As the save Sukhna case came up for resumed hearing, a Division Bench of the High Court took note of the fact that a substantial number of taps at Sukhna Lake were running dry. The Bench also noted that the condition of the toilets, too, was pathetic.

The Bench then asked the respondent authorities to provide water coolers at the lake for the visitors. The Bench also asked the authorities to ensure proper toilet facilities at the lake by creating additional washrooms.

The Bench also asked the respondents to explore the possibility of wet dredging of the lake for increasing its life. Wet dredging is a process done without removing water. 

This process is performed with a dredge boat with an attached hydraulic shovel. It removes the silt and discharges it to a sealed container on the boat for subsequent disposal. The process can remove large amounts of localised sediment quickly without removing water.

The Division Bench of Justice Ajay Kumar Mittal and Justice Amit Rawal was also told during the hearing that the process of removing lotus was on, but the process was taking time as it was a fast-growing plant.

The rain-fed lake at the foothills of the Himalayas was created way back in 1958 by damming the Sukhna choe, a seasonal stream coming down from the Shivalik Hills.

The HC, in its order dated March 14, 2011, had also issued directions for restoring the lake to its former glory.