The Chennai Corporation will develop the Velachery lake into a tourist attraction. Facilities for boating in the existing 49 acres of the waterbody would be launched by the civic body. Another six acre of the lake area is under encroachment.
Inspecting the lake on Thursday, Mayor M. Subramanian said, “The boating facilities will be developed at a total cost of Rs.5 crore. The area will soon become one of the preferred tourist destinations in the city.”
A 750-metre-long tiled walkway would be constructed along a side of the lake. Landscaping with park benches would also be done on the sides of the lake. A two-metre-wide stretch along the lake would be earmarked for the purpose.
In order to avoid reduction in the area of the lake, floating decks would be constructed with pile foundation without filling the lake.
The Corporation would also take measures to prevent sewer discharge in the lake and reduce pollution of water, he said. Chennai Metrowater would construct a new pumping station at an estimated cost of Rs.2 crore for this purpose. Many illegal sewer discharge points have been identified along the Raj Bhavan canal which discharges water in the lake.
Parking area was initially planned to be developed by filling a portion of the lake. But the civic body is planning to get parking lots in nearby areas without filling the water body.
A piece of land nearby belonging to the Tamil Nadu Housing Board has been found to be suitable for constructing parking lot for the vehicles of visitors to the lake.
