Mumbai: The city activists are up in arms against the BMC’s plan to restore the Bandra Talao (lake), which is proposed at Rs 20 crore. The BMC is restoring the already restored lake and wasting public money, they say.
The Free Press Journal had reported on February 23rd that the BMC’s H-West ward has forwarded the proposal to the sewerage operations department for the Bandra Lake restoration project. The BMC is expected to get funding from the State Department under the 15th Planning Commission.
The 200-year-old Swami Vivekanand Lake, popularly known as Bandra Talao, is 7.5 acres big and falls under a Grade II heritage site. The funds from the state government will be granted under the initiative to preserve water bodies.
BMC has already appointed a contractor who is testing the pond water and will further suggest the methodology for dewatering and desludging. The proposal to restore Bandra Talao includes two phases- the first will include dewatering, desludging etc, and the second will include beautification.
“Why is the already restored lake being restored? Why does BMC beautify already beautified sites? This is nothing but public money going down the drain,” said environment activist and Bandra resident Zoru Bhathena. “The BMC has revamped the lake in 2019, at the estimated cost of over Rs 8 crore. Since 2015, the revamp and beatification of Bandra Lake have been carried out multiple times,” he added.
Recently, local Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad has highlighted the unclean Bandra Talao and demanded urgent action for the maintenance and safeguarding of the heritage location.
The residents have also been complaining that the walkways around Bandra Talao are used by drug addicts and petty criminals and that the residents do not find it safe to visit the lake premises.
