After years of neglect, the Pinji lake on the outskirts of Ranipet will soon get a new lease of life as the Ranipet municipality has begun the restoration work.
Accompanied by Collector D. Bhaskara Pandian, Minister for Handlooms and Textiles R. Gandhi, launched the first phase of the initiative to rejuvenate the lake. The waterbody will be restored at a cost of ₹45 crore under the Namakku Naame Scheme, with technical support from the Environmentalist Foundation of India (EFI), a Chennai-based NGO. The initiative follows Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s inspection of the lake, during his visit to the town to inaugurate the new Collectorate on June 30.
“As a water source, the lake is the lifeline for the residents. Now, the lake will be turned into a recreational spot — the first such facility in the area,” said Sujatha Vinoth, chairperson, Ranipet municipality.
Spread over 26 acres, the lake gets water from neighbouring Thandalam lake, which is fed by Poonai river, a tributary of the Palar. As part of the restoration work, weeding, removal of garbage, and strengthening of embankments would be taken up in the first phase at a cost of ₹1.5 crore. Subsequently, a children’s park with play equipment, playground, jogging and walkers tracks, yoga platform and benches would be set up. An eco park with a lawn and varieties of ornamental plants would also come up. Officials said work would be taken up to fence the surplus channel from the lake to control dumping of solid waste. Floating material and vegetation would be removed from the waterbody. Demarcation of the lake’s boundary would be done. More importantly, the existing inlets would be desilted, allowing easy discharge of water from the stormwater drains in the town to the waterbody. This will prevent inundation of residential areas in the town. The entire work is expected to get completed before the northeast monsoon.
