A team of surveyors from Patna has arrived at the district headquarters to measure encroachments on and around the iconic Motijheel, which has been chosen for revamp under National Lake Conservation Plan this fiscal.

The 13-member team, which arrived on Monday, would complete the survey within two months.

“The surveyors would conduct measurements according to the provisions of Land Survey Act, 1997,” Motihari circle officer Sameer Kumar Sharan told The Telegraph on Thursday.

The team from Patna would not, however, explore virgin ground. The district administration has already formed a team under additional district magistrate Pramod Kumar Bihari.

The district team has identified 74 people who have set up permanent structures on the bank of the lake and served notices on them under Bihar Public Land Encroachment Act, 1956. According to the measurements conducted by Bihari’s team, about 3 acre of the lake has been encroached.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar, during his Seva Yatra visit to Motihari from April 20 to 22, announced that the Motijheel would be given the status of a national lake . He directed East Champaran district magistrate Abhijit Sinha to ensure that all encroachment is removed from the area before the beautification work can commence and de-siltation work carried out.