Delhi’s Naini lake to be turned into a tourist attraction soon

NEW DELHI: One of Delhi’s biggest lakes, the Naini Lake of Model Town, will be open for citizens for boat rides and a soft adventure park soon. The initiative has been proposed by the Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC) and includes the maintenance of a restaurant in the vicinity of the lake. The proposal has been presented by the DTTDC to a standing committee of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) on October 11.

“We have made an agreement with the DTTDC, whereby they will get the boats and do the ticketing. They will share 12.5 per centof the profits annually with us and also arrange for lifeguards and jackets. They will also desilt the water body as and when needed,” a senior official of the corporation said.

National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) has been approached for the upkeep of the lake. Floating planters have been installed which use certain shrubs and plants that use sewage as nutrition.

“The DTTDC used to conduct boat rides at Naini Lake earlier as well, but stopped it in 2015 for some reason. Reviving it will help us in many ways. First of all, boats will help in natural churning of the water and oxygenating it, thereby cleaning it naturally,” Ashish Priyadarshi, director of the north body’s horticulture department, said.

“Second, it will get us revenue, and third, the dead lake will become a public recreation point again,” Priyadarshi said.