Garbage-hit Gandhi Sagar struggling for survival
| Date :05-Jul-2019 |
By Vikas Vaidya:
The lackadaisical attitude of civic authorities and people also is making historical Gandhi Sagar suffer. The Gandhi Sagar, also known as Shukravar Talao or Jumma Talab, is being ignored by everybody, civic authorities and citizens, for years together. Vendors around the lake and others, too, are trying to make this once beautiful lake, a dumping ground. Getting hit by garbage, this lake is struggling for survive. The lake is in the heart of the city and covers nearly 18 hectare area. It has the history of around 300 years. There are many well-known establishments, temples including Raman Science Centre, Vidarbha Premier Housing Society, Shikshak Sahakari Bank, J N Tata Parsi Girls’ School, Agyari, Hindu Dnyanpeeth Convent. There also used to be Empress Mill near the lake.
The lake is dying a slow death that is very evident from the picture above. Water is reduced from the area around the artificial immersion tank. (Pic by Satish Raut)
Now, the residential building is also coming up in its vicinity. The water in the lake is an outcome of aquifers and the rain. Gandhi Sagar is probably the oldest among all lakes in Nagpur. It has witnessed several events for the last not one, two... 50 but 300 years. Speciality of this lake is whenever a scheme related to waterbody comes, everybody tries to drag Gandhi Sagar into it. A lot of schemes were planned without proper thinking. Now, probably the lake, too, has become habitual of such impotent planning by the authorities where nothing is delivered. Everybody comes up with a beautification plan, does some wishy-washy work and leaves the lake on God’s mercy.
Every scheme is forced upon this lake without giving much thought to it. Recently, it was announced that a Sea-Plane would be started from this lake. Will that really takes off? Nobody is sure. A little visible foundation stone tells the story of beautification. The matter on the stone says, in 1993, the bhoomipujan for the beautification plan was performed but nothing has taken place since then. The lake was constructed during the Bhonsale’s reign long back. Naturally, the thick retaining of the wall is broken by the presence of intermediate bastion.
The edges of the wall have been damaged over the time. ‘The Hitavada’ had reported about the broken wall but it has not been repaired till now. Now, these walls are on the verge of collapsing. In fact, the wall of the lake on side of the flat scheme of Vidarbha Premiere has already collapsed. The stairs near the historical Shiva Mandir were used to go inside the lake for immersion. And people found huge garbage, damaged idols the next day.
The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) then had put artificial tank for the purpose of immersion of idols by the side of Tamhankar Ganesh Mandir. But, the picture was very disappointing as the tank is not cleaned since last September. People, too, joined hands with the authorities to disfigure the lake by immersing idols in the lake itself instead the tank. Of course, while blaming authorities for the mismanagement public too, should be held responsible for neglect of this lake. Once the glory of Nagpur, Gandhi Sagar is now crying for revival and survival.