India: Officials to Purchase Dredging Machine for Lakes Cleanup

Urban Administration and Development Minister Shri Babulal Gaur has directed the Bhopal Municipal Corporation to purchase dredging machine costing Rs 6 crores to remove silt from the lakes. This machine is not available anywhere in the state at present. This will be the first such machine in the state to be purchased by the Bhopal Municipal Corporation.

Shri Gaur has taken this decision at a meeting held here today on development of Bhopal. Mayor Mrs. Krishna Gaur, Divisional Commissioner Shri Manoj Shrivastava, Urban Administration and Development Commissioner Shri S M. Mishra, Bhopal Municipal Corporation Commissioner Shri Manish Singh, executive engineers of different departments, executive engineers of Capital Project Administration, Housing Board, Tourism Development Corporation, and Electricity Distribution Company were present.

The Divisional Commissioner said that with the dredging machine apart from cleaning lakes of Bhopal, lakes and rivers of other places could also be cleaned easily and at faster pace. He said that this machine could be rented to other institutions also. It was decided at the meeting that for running and maintaining the dredging machine the Dredging Corporation of India should be asked to train the employees. Shri Manoj Shrivastava said that there are several historically important lakes in the state which lost their identity because of filling with silt since decades and therefore not in a position to store enough water in them. These lakes are also filled with ‘Jalkumbhis’, plants that grow fast in lakes and ponds. After purchasing this machine, 14 lakes of the city will be cleaned. Along with that lakes of Sagar, Narsingarh, Govindgarh of Rewa and other historically important lakes of the state will get new life.

(centralchronicle)

[mappress]

Source: centralchronicle, August 24, 2010;