From Our Correspondent
Agartala: The Neermahal is all set to get a new lease of life with the government mulling to undertake a massive renovation of the lone lake palace in the Eastern India.
Chief Minister Manik Sarkar asked the PWD to prepare work-plan to renovate the iconic red and white place and submit it before the government within next three months.
Sarkar, who was holding a high level meeting at Civil Secretariat on Tuesday, laid emphasis on taking all possible steps to save the iconic structure as well the lake.
Following Chief Minister’s SOS view, a committee has been constituted to undertake the necessary works for the much awaited renovation work.
The Neermahal renovation committee includes Secretary of Tourism Ashutosh Jinda, Chief Engineer of Water Resource and Addl Chief Engineer of PWD Asit Bhowmik and one senior architect.
In the meeting, it was informed that the lake palace was constructed in an area measuring 2100 acre land way back in 1939 with 102 hectare water-area.
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Tourism, headed by Sitaram Yechury, had last February recommended renovation of the water palace, a blend of distinct Hindu and Islamic architectural styles.
Earlier, the Standing Committee had asked the state government to prepare a detailed project report for renovation of Neermahal, a 53 km drive from capital town.
The panel has proposed to increase the water level of the lake, construction of a ring road around the palace, retrofitting of the palace and preservation of biodiversity.
Tripura Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) officials said that a Rs 40-crore project had been envisaged, which includes renovation of the building, development of catchment areas of the lake, preservation of bio-diversity, dredging of the lake and rehabilitation of the fishermen’s community and protection of their livelihood.
There is also a plan to preserve the bio-diversity and take proper care of Noyacherra, a stream which is the source of the lake.
Extensive dredging has been planned for increasing the water level of the lake which has shrunk to just 374 hectares at present from 2,066 hectares in 1947.