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Labourers at work for the beautification project of Line Tank Talab in Ranchi on Monday. Pictures by Hardeep Singh
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Residents of the state capital may get a much-awaited gift this Statehood Day an all-new Line Tank Talab.
The beautification of the pond, which is being carried out by Ranchi Regional Development Authority (RRDA), is in the last stage. In all likelihood, work will be completed in the next two months with only installation of the fountain, setting up of a guard room, generator room, toilet and plantation work remaining.
The majority of work is over. The rest will be completed in the next two months. The beautified water body will be ready for inauguration on this Statehood Day (celebrated on November 15), said Braj Bihari, the RRDA engineer who is looking after the project.
Situated in heart of the city near Albert Ekka Chowk, Line Tank Talab is spread over 3.5 acres. The pond was in a very poor shape when RRDA took up renovation work about two years ago. The state urban development department had allotted a total of Rs 2.43 crore for beautification of the tank and converting it into a tourist hub. The water, which had got polluted due to the heaps of garbage dumped by residents, had to be purified with the help of limestone.
Under the project, a boundary wall has been raised around the pond. After desiltation, a support wall was erected so that water does not erode the soil and silt gets deposited in the process. This apart, sloping up to 30 feet has been done with big boulders around the pond so that the soil at the base of it does not get eroded. As many as 10 staircases have been erected. The RRDA will also make seating arrangement for visitors. Besides, a 6-feet wide footpath is being constructed around the water body, where visitors can take a walk.
Except at one corner where garbage has been dumped, most portion of the pond is now clean. The water too appears clean. While the water in the middle of the pond is around 20 feet deep, the depth is around 15 feet elsewhere.
RRDA also has plans to set up a dome-shaped, colour-emitting fountain in the middle of the water body. It will be the first-of-its-kind fountain for a pond in the state capital.
The fountain will cost us a steep Rs 35 lakh and will be set up by Classic Coal Construction Pvt Ltd. As of now, we are giving final touches to the structure where the fountain will be mounted, the RRDA engineer said.
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