VS to convene meet on saving Akkulam

Thiruvananthapuram, Friday 15 May 2009: Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan will soon convene a high-level meeting to find ways to rid Akkulam Lake of water hyacinth and to restore charm to the tourist village on its banks.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Vijayakumar said after visiting the village to see the dismal conditions. He will apprise the Chief Minister of the need to convene the meeting.
“The 53 hectares of the water body has almost been taken over by water hyacinth. It seems as if the lake has disappeared. It is an adventure trip here and not a leisure cruise,” Mr. Vijayakumar, who took a boat ride, said.
“The lake needs to be protected for the development of the tourist village and to attract tourists in large numbers at the earliest.”
The 24-seater safari boat of the District Tourism Promotion Council, which carried the Minister, officials and presspersons, did not have fitness certificate. The council’s officials did not insist that the travellers wear the mandatory lifejackets, despite it being made available at the boat club.
Additional Chief Secretary K. Jayakumar, who holds charge of Water Resources, said a recent hydrographic study had revealed that 10 lakh cubic feet of silt had to be removed from the lake to make it navigable.
Efforts would be made to obtain funds from the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for the protection of the lake.
The council, which manages the village and the boat club, carried out a drive to remove weeds from the lake last year.
The plants choke the lake despite spending crores of rupees over the years to remove them.
From over a dozen boats fetching up to Rs.10,000 a day in cruise charge at one time, the fleet strength has come down to two each safari, speed and row boats and four pedal boats.
The boat club, the water park and the snack parlour have 25 workers.
Efforts of the Water Resources Department to desilt the canal at a cost of Rs.75 lakh and of the Inland Transport Wing to deepen it did not succeed.
District Collector Sanjay Kaul; K.G. Vijayakumar, Secretary of the council; and tourism, irrigation, harbour engineering and inland navigation officials accompanied the Minister.