Ward’s Lake most frequented by tourists

SHILLONG: The Ward’s Lake is perhaps the most frequented tourist spots in the city. The venue offer serenity and beauty that attracts tourists and “lovebirds” alike. It is not surprising therefore that the spot also generates a good amount of revenue, collected in the form of entry fee, for the State.
According to an official from the Forest department an amount of Rs 16 lakh was collected in terms of entry fee at the Wards Lake last year. The same amount was realized by September this year showing the increasing popularity of the lake.
The lake premises spread over an area of 6.28 hectares (4.08 hectares of garden and 2.2 hectares of lake area).
The lake was named after Sir William Ward, the then Chief Commissioner of Assam, who initiated the plan for its construction. The lake was later constructed by Colonel Hopkins in 1894.
The official said that there are schemes to maintain the tourist spot and the overhead expense and maintenance of staff and development of the park are usually taken care of by the State schemes.
Reacting to a query, the official said that currently the Forest department has no plan of adding to the infrastructure or entertainment aspect in the lake for the Government wants to keep the space as a recreational area and protecting the greenery was the foremost priority.