Chennai: The long-pending dream of residents to get the Chitlapakkam lake restored to its former glory may soon be realised as the Water Resources Department has said the tenders for the Rs 25 crore project will be finalsed in a few days and work would begin by the end of this month.
“The work would be executed with financial assistance from Tamilnadu Pollution Control Board. The tank bund will be strengthened and a new foreshore bund for a distance of 960 metre will be constructed as part of the project,” sources said.
Sources further said that a footpath would be laid on the tank bund. “A drain would be constructed on the foreshore of the lake to collect sewage, which otherwise flows into the waterbody. It will be connected to the proposed sewage treatment plant and release treated sewage into the lake,” sources added.
It may be noted that Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami announced Rs 25 crore for the restoration of Chitlapakkam lake during the Assembly session held in July. He made the announcement under Rule 110 and said the amount will be used to strengthen the bund, remove encroachments, prevent sewage from entering the waterbody, save excess water and divert flood waters.
The desilting of Chitlapakkam lake became a reality when Chitlapakkam Rising received clearance from the Water Resources Department (WRD) recently. Volunteers in large numbers took part in the clean up and desilting activities of the lake.