Centre rejects project to revive dried Dal Lake in Dharamsala

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, March 23

The Centre has rejected the Rs 22-crore project submitted by the Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Department to the Urban Development Department for the revival of the dried Dal Lake here.

PROPOSAL TO BE RESUBMITTED

The proposal has been rejected as such a huge amount can’t be sanctioned to restore water bodies under the AMRUT scheme. It will be resubmitted with an aim to stop the seepage of water from the floor of the lake. For this, a project report is being prepared. Deepak Garg, SE, IPH, Dept, Dharamsala

The proposal was submitted under the AMRUT scheme of the Centre.

Sources said the project had been rejected by the Centre as the funds sought for the revival of the lake under the AMRUT scheme were beyond the upper limit set for such projects.

When contacted, Kangra Deputy Commissioner Nipun Jindal said the IPH Department would resubmit the project under the AMRUT scheme for approval. The lake would be restored by the Dharamsala Municipal Corporation, he added.

The lake, located at a distance of about 11 km from Dharamsala in Tota Rani village near Naddi, though small, is a natural water body, vital for the ecosystem of the surrounding hills.

The lake, a famous tourist spot located in the Naddi area, is located at a height of 1,775 metre and is surrounded by deodars. There is a Shiva temple on its banks. However, silt from the adjoining mountains had reduced its depth.

About half of the lake area is filled with silt which has been converted into grassland. A massive operation with the help of the locals was launched in 2011 for removing the silt from the lake. The silt was used to create a parking near the temple area.

Since then, the lake has dried up rapidly. Sources said the district administration had called the geological experts to study the reasons as to why the lake was losing water. They had said that the unscientific digging might have created aquaducts at the base of the lake, which was leading to draining of water. The sources said no solution had been found to the problem.

Deepak Garg, SE, IPH Department, said, “The proposal has been rejected as such a huge amount can’t be sanctioned to restore water bodies under the AMRUT scheme. It will be resubmitted with an aim to stop the seepage of water from the floor of the lake. For this, a project report is being prepared.”