Revamped Purana Qila lake to be opened again on Oct 2
FINISHING TOUCHES LEFT Lake complex, given a makeover by NBCC, will get new fountains, walkways and a café
NEWDELHI: The iconic lake at Purana Qila will be ready to greet visitors once again by end of this month.
National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC), the agency executing its redevelopment, is putting finishing touches to fencing around the water body, newly laid walkways, café, and interpretation centre being built on 23-acre campus comprising the pond along Mathura Road.
The lake complex is likely to be inaugurated on October 2, said a senior NBCC official requesting anonymity.
Union culture minister Mahesh Sharma said the redevelopment-cum-beautification work at Purana Qila Lake Complex is on the verge of completion. It will be finished by September 30, he said. “Lake restoration work is almost done. Aerating fountains will provide both an ecological and aesthetic benefit. People coming to the fort will be able to enjoy beautiful and serene surroundings next month,” he said.
As part of the lake revival project, NBCC is relaying walkways, i nstalling decorative lights, creating cabanas, and placing 11 aerating fountains in the pond to attract tourists.
To transform it into a “visitorfriendly” picnic spot, new amenities include a cafeteria, a souvenir shop, and additional parking space. A small interpretation centre is also being built where tourists will be able to get information about the history of the complex, the NBCC official said.
However, the lake at 16th century citadel built by Mughal emperor Humayun and Sher Shah, will not offer boating facilities that were stopped in August 2016.
“Boating at Purana Qila can’t be allowed as it is against heritage structures preservation rules. Sanctity of historic building should not be compromised,” said a senior Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) official, who is aware of the development.
NBCC adopted the site under the culture ministry’s “adopt a monument” scheme last year. The project cost is ₹27 crore, which is being shared by NBCC and ASI. The renovation work started in March 2018, officials said.
However, environment activists and heritage experts raised questions about the restoration methods adopted by NBCC.
They claimed “un-mindful construction” at the site has ruined historical evidences of the moat and that the plastic membrane used in the lakebed to stop water seeping into the ground will “damage the fort’s stability”.
“No original evidence of moat is left anymore. The ancient structure has given way to modern day constructions. They have concretised its embankment,” said an ASI official.
Sohail Hashmi, a filmmaker, who conducts heritage tours, said it seems like a “well-planned conspiracy” to destroy our heritage. “They took away the control of boating facility from Delhi Tourism. Then, they intentionally allowed the lake to dry up. The authorities are just not bothered about history and heritage,” he said.
Questioning the decision to concretise the lake’s base, Manoj Misra, the convener of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan, said if water is not allowed to go to subsoil, it will pose a danger to Purana Qila’s structural integrity.
“The lake was big source of underground water recharge. Water seeping into the ground fills airspace in the soil, which keeps the earth intact. Vacuum in the earth is a threat to structural stability of the fort, which is already very old and looks frail,” he said.
Misra has also written to Delhi lieutenant governor Anil Baijal seeking his intervention in the matter, which is already before the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The next date of hearing in NGT is September 24.
However, a senior NBCC official said if measures to prevent water loss are not taken, the facility will dry up. “Waterproofing membrane will not allow water to seep into the ground. The decision to put membrane was taken after the project was approved by Iit-roorkee. We will submit the IIT report before the court on next date of hearing,” the NBCC official said. NEW DELHI: Two men were arrested for duping an east Delhi-based businessman of ₹63,000 after tricking him into sharing the credentials of his bank account, police said on Saturday. Police suspect the two may also be involved in several other cases of cheating and fraud.
The two men from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, identified only by their first names Samir and Tahir, allegedly contacted gymnasium owner Vijay Kumar on Thursday saying they wanted to become members of his gym, police said. They allegedly obtained Kumar’s bank details and OTP (one time password) by saying they wanted to transfer their membership fee through an online payment system.
“They instead used the details to purchase three mobile phones worth ₹43,000 and to transfer ₹20,000 into their account,” said deputy commissioner of police (New Delhi) Madhur Verma.
Police said Kumar received a call on Thursday where an unknown caller claimed to want to join his gym. The caller asked Kumar to share his bank account details so that the membership fee could be transferred.
“The caller then tricked Kumar into sharing the OTP he received for completing the payment. Within minutes Kumar received messages informing him about transactions worth ₹63,000,” said the officer.
DCP Verma said Kumar filed a case with the Connaught Place police station and the special staff team was tasked to probe it. The team contacted the online commerce site through which the cellphones were bought.
“Our team members posed as delivery boys and reached Mathura to deliver the phones on Friday. Tahir and Samir turned up to collect the delivery and were apprehended,” said Verma.