Futala Lake’s lost glory: How devpt scarred this water body

 

 

Development may become an anathema in the city, as a flurry of new projects getting executed here are ending up destroying the flora and fauna that had withstood years of tumult. But the projects that defied logic and were projected as one aimed at putting the city on the world map; the city today is left to grieve the demise of what used to be a prime natural landscape. And prime example is Futala Lake, a sort of beach for the common man in the city, who used to visit and unwind himself on any given day. While Nagpurians missed the sea coast, the Futala Lakefront, so majestically designed by the then rulers of Nagpur, made up for it.

 

In the name of modernisation, however, the present-day rulers have systematically destroyed one pristine beauty that was the pride of the city. Now what one sees is not the ruins of yesteryear, but rather a live example of the snatching away of citizens own place of comfort. With the front side now covered up, the charm and beauty of the lake are totally erased by the mass of concrete that has little usage today. As the fountain project got shelved, as the same went against environmental norms, it's the citizens who are paying the price. However, the people who forced the mega project down people's throats are not all being held accountable for destroying a vibrant and majestic lakeside recreational place. And not to miss a fact, Futala used to flow with bustling youthful energy, which was quite electric on any given day. The stretch of road from near Telenkhedi Temple corner and opening towards Amravati Highway used to provide a pleasant sight.

 

The cool breeze flowing from the lake added to the mystique of the place, which is being sorely missed by the citizens and even more by the youths whose prime gathering spot stands eliminated, all in the name of development. Telenkhedi Lake was built in the times of the Bhonsle reign in the city, and rainwater is its only source, and it's spread over 37.58 Ha. And as per rough estimates, the lake is around 200 years old.

 

The water from the lake is carefully routed to a pond constructed in the adjoining Telenkhedi garden that used to be summer halt for the Bhonsle queen. The ghostly look at Futala Lake due to abandoning of the mega fountain project by National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), makes one wonder the very need for it at the smaller pond when there are other major lakes avaliable in city itself. Today the water body can be said to be graveyard for tonnes of concrete and steel that lies buried without use. In process, the precious marine life has been impacted by rash decisions on the part of the planners in decision in choosing a water body.