This story is from February 15, 2021

Chandrapur NGO Eco-Pro to stage sit-in for Ramala lake cleaning demand

NGO Eco-Pro Organization will stage a daylong sit-in on Monday to press the demand for deepening and cleaning the 550-year-old Ramala lake in the heart of the city.
Chandrapur NGO Eco-Pro to stage sit-in for Ramala lake cleaning demand
The NGO has threatened to go on indefinite hunger
CHANDRAPUR: NGO Eco-Pro Organization will stage a daylong sit-in on Monday to press the demand for deepening and cleaning the 550-year-old Ramala lake in the heart of the city.
The organization has threatened to go on indefinite hunger strike from February 22 if the administration fails to approve the proposal for cleaning the historic lake.
President of Eco-Pro, Bandu Dhotre, claimed that they have been pursuing the demand for removing eichhornia weed from Ramala Lake since 2008 and implementation of a sanitation campaign.
“Studies were carried out to de-pollute, deepen and beautify the lake. The administration was told about the reasons for the lake’s pathetic condition,” he said.
Dhotre claimed the organization is following up the issue with the authorities since last three years. “Every year the work is postponed due to delays in release of water from the lake, duration needed for the work and for want of funds,” he said.
He also said that previous collector Dr Kunal Khemnar had agreed to start the cleaning and the lake was drained but the work was postponed due to the pandemic. “A series of meetings was held and it was decided to bring fresh water pumped from WCL coal mines into the lake. Plans were laid for diversion of Macchi nullah, the main source of lake pollution, and setting up a sewage treatment plant on it, while carrying out cleaning and beautification of the historic water body simultaneously. However, administration backtracked,” said Dhotre.
He informed that thousands of fish were found dead on the lake’s bank on January 26. “The incident shows how pollution is posing threat to aquatic life and people living in area nearby. The work for draining, cleaning and deepening of the lake should start before the onset of summer so that it is completed before monsoon arrival,” he said.
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