City govt, civic body join hands for revival of Naini

Delhi government and North Delhi Municpal Corporation have joined hands for the much-needed revival of the dying Naini Lake in North Delhi’s Model Town area.

Delhi Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra met North Delhi Mayor Ravinder Gupta on Thursday and renewed the lease of the lake which got expired two years ago. North Municipal Corporation is the land-owning agency.

The decision was taken after repeated pleas by the residents of the Model Town area to restore the water body.

“Major decision on Naini Lake done- Delhi Tourism will revive and conserve the lake. Amazing support from Mayor Ravinder Gupta for it,” wrote Mishra in a tweet.

Once a popular destination in Delhi’s Model Town area and home to various birds, frogs and other creatures, the lake’s condition over the years has worsened, and it is nearly ecological dead now.

It has low oxygen level and is devoid of plant life because of which fish and other creatures are finding it difficult to survive.

Conserve water bodies

Delhi Tourism department will work to rejuvenate the lake for boating and other activities.

Besides tourism, the project will also give a boost to Delhi government’s plan to conserve water bodies to have a reserve of water in case of a crisis, like the one seen during the Jat agitation in Haryana, when water supply in the national capital was affected.

According to a survey by Delhi government in 2014, of the 611 water bodies in the capital, 274 have already dried up, while the remaining 337 are in a terrible condition.

A plan for reviving Naini Lake was submitted to the department by professor C R Babu, renowned ecologist and professor-emeritus at Centre for Environmental Management of Degraded Ecosystems, in July.

However, it was put on the backburner as the MoU between the government and the North Corporation, which is the land-owning agency, was to be renewed.

North Municipal Corporation grants licence for boating and supporting activities on a revenue sharing model between it and Delhi Tourism.