The Hindu : Special package for Dal lake conservation likely

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 15, 2003

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Special package for Dal lake conservation likely

By Our Staff Correspondent

NEW DELHI JUNE 14. The eleventh meeting of the National River Conservation Authority (NRCA), to be chaired by the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, here on Monday will take stock of its achievements and the National Lake Conservation Plan (NRCP).

The meeting assumes importance as both the ambitious projects are facing serious financial constraints. Issues relating to operation and maintenance of assets created over the past 18 years, generating public awareness and ensuring people's participation in cleaning and keeping rivers and lakes pollution-free are also likely to figure prominently at the meeting.

The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, is a special invitee as the Centre is likely to announce a special package for the conservation of the Dal Lake in Srinagar. The Chief Ministers of 18 States, where the NRCP is being implemented, have been invited. The last meeting of the NRCA held in 2001 had decided to adopt an integrated approach for the river cleaning programme, and all future works would be shared on a 70:30 ratio basis between the Central and the State Governments. Of the State share, the public contribution was to be a minimum of 10 per cent of the total cost.

The approved works under NRCP now extend to 157 towns along 31 stretches of polluted rivers in 18 States. They involve a total cost of Rs. 4,064 crores with the Centre's share being Rs. 3,464 crores. Altogether, 763 projects, worth Rs. 2,460 crores, have been sanctioned under the plan. This is in addition to 261 projects sanctioned under the Ganga Action Plan, phase-I. The total expenditure incurred until March 31, under the NCRP is Rs. 1,236.67 crores, including the State's share.

Under the National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP), it had been decided to include 10 polluted urban lakes for conservation. Of these, the conservation plans for three lakes — Powai (Maharashtra), Udhagamandalam and Kodaikanal (Tamil Nadu) — were first approved with an outlay of Rs 14.90 crores.While the work of Powai lake is nearly complete and the progress in respect of the Udhagamandalam lake is 40 per cent. The process of award of work has been completed in respect of Kodaikanal. Subsequently, six more projects have been approved with an outlay of Rs. 57.71 crores.

The conservation of Dal lake was envisaged as one of the projects at the time of conceptualisation of the NLCP. The detailed project report of the Dal Lake Conservation Plan was prepared by the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, and sent to the State Government for concurrence in November 2000.

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