Chandrapur: Overwhelming response poured in as NGO Eco-Pro Organization began its indefinite hunger strike for the conservation of historic Ramala Lake on Monday.
The NGO has blamed district administration, Chandrapur Municipal Corporation (CMC) and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) for condemning the only water body left in the city to its death.
The lake was built by Gond dynasty, which founded Chanda city, as main source of water for the residents here 550 years back. The lake was once spread in sprawling 400 acre, but encroachers ate into its land and the water body has now shrunk to mere 90 acre. Also, over half of the lake is covered with echornia water weed and fishes and flora in it are dying rapidly due to high pollution.
Eco-Pro president Bandu Dhotre, who is leading the hunger strike, blamed the CMC and MPCB for the pathetic condition of the lake. “Even as fishes are dying and citizens living around are crying foul over the stench coming from water in their wells and borewells, MPCB never tried to identify the source or warn authorities of hazardous pollution in the lake. Even the latest report of the water sample collected from the lake after fishes died was not sent to the CMC,” he said.
Dhotre said though over 300 acre land of the lake has been encroached from three sides, but CMC never took any action. Similarly, the corporation never took any measures to divert the sewage water flowing into the lake through Macchi nullah and drainage from Jalnagar habitation, he alleged. “Hazardous agriculture fertilizers unloaded at railway siding adjacent to the lake washes into Ramala every rainfall. Despite threat to the lives of people living around, CMC and MPCB never took cognisance of it,” Dhotre charged.
Letters were dispatched to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, railway minister Piyush Goyal, Union minister of state for culture Prahlad Patel along with chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, environment minister Aaditya Thackeray and urban development minister Eknath Shinde detailing them the plight of the historic lake. While local citizens buzzed the agitation place to extend their support, heads of several social and environmental organizations also visited the place and expressed solidarity with the agitation.
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Eco-Pro president Bandu Dhotre along with others launched indefinite hunger strike on Monday for conservation of the historic Ramala Lake in Chandrapur