If one wants to see how a bad urban management out of lack of administrative planning can damage so much, then one should visit Sakkardara lake now. There is hardly any water remained in this lake which was once a glory of Nagpur city. In 2019, the then South Nagpur MLA Sudhakar Kohale, Leader of Opposition in Nagpur Municipal Corporation Tanaji Wanve, Chairperson of Nehru Nagar Zone Rita Mule, Deepraj Nilawar from Clean Foundation, Ishwar Dhurde from Sakkardara Beautification Committee had began the cleaning work which did not last long. When one visits this waterbody one would find a lot of waste materials, idols at its bank lying since long as it is, the debris of construction work etc. Civic authorities along with the public representatives of this area should be held accountable for the shabby condition of this historic lake.

 

 

 

‘The Hitavada’ has published the photo of this lake a few days ago with a very less water in it. But, the condition got deteriorated further and on Thursday the waterbody shrunk in terms of quantity of water. Sakkardara is located in the Sakkardara precinct of Nagpur covering an area of about 4 hectares. Now, it is looking like a play-ground. Nobody is giving thought to it. Sakkardara lake is shrinking but people continue to dump waste into it. Almost all of the area around the lake is demarcated as residential zone in the Development Plan of Nagpur with the only exception being the Southern edge which has been reserved as a green area. Long ago, NMC had started cleaning work in association with Clean Foundation, Patanjali Yog Samiti, and Sonzari Mitra Mandal to mark Atal Sewa Saptah but that also remained as an activity of showing off. Leaders inaugurated the activity but nothing has been done afterwards. Civic authorities have made injustice and mockery of this lake.

 

The lackadaisical attitude by Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) too is evident. With Dr Nitin Raut, Guardian Minister, has vowed for the revival of NIT, it may provide boost to the projects it had taken up in the past. Cleaning work of Sakkardara lake was one of those projects. The agency which was given the work, fled after receiving money. Bollywood Centre Point, functioning on the bank of Sakkardara lake, is now closed. But the debris of its walls are in the lake. These debris in the lake causing damage to aqua life. During the tenure of Abhijit Bangar as Municipal Commissioner of Nagpur, NMC had planned cleaning of Futala and Naik Talao which still remained on the paper. It is already dying slowly by gradual shrinking, it remains to be seen whether people and civic authority would be able to save it. ‘The Hitavada’ contacted Dayashankar Tiwari, Mayor who said, “I had toured that area two days ago and observed that the condition of lake was not good. Immediately, I had a talk with NMC officials who informed me some work like desilting of the lake is going on.”

 

Anasuya Chhabrani, President of Swachh Nagpur regretted, “It is painful to see we are not able to save our ecology. Why city fathers are showing neglect towards greenery, waterbodies in city is a million dollar question.” Nagpur has already witnessed the deaths of Dobi lake, Pandharabodi lake, Takli Sim, now Lendi Talao, Naik Talao are on the verge of dying. Sakkardara lake is also on the way to meet the same fate as the above lakes.