Bountiful rain has not just made the Topchachi Lake abundant with water but has also added to its natural beauty. And Jharkhand Mineral Area Development Authority (JMADA) looks determined to attract more tourists to the once busy picnic spot. It is all set to have a toy train to take tourists around the scenic lake, which come alive every winter with migratory birds.
All the preparation has been made to have a 5.5 km road developed around the lake, along with a half-a-kilometere approach from the National Highway 2 to the lake.
Talking to The Telegraph Online today, executive engineer cum technical member of JMADA, Indresh Shukla, hinted at the possibility of road development to commence from next week.
“The road development work is part of the Rs 310 crore project, which aims to better the water supply from Damodar River to Jharia from Jamadoba. Pipelines will be replaced to better the water supply system. A water treatment plant is also under progress,” he said.
Sharing details, Shukla further elaborated, “The development work of the road will help tourists visiting the lake to take a smooth ride around the beautiful locales in their vehicles other than the toy train.”
Notably, the beautification work of the litchi garden (litchi bagan) situated on the bank of the lake with jamun, neem, mango, guava and other ornamental plants is on for the last five months. This work is part of the Rs 1 crore project under Gazebo installation around the park, besides concrete shades laying, paver block installation, and boundary wall construction.
For the uninitiated, Topchanchi Lake for the past many years had been facing a water crisis with its water level falling way below 50 feet, due to deficient rainfall. However, with a good monsoon, after almost a decade, things look better for the lake.
“Besides construction road and having the toy train facility, we also have plans to renovate the existing two guest houses of the lake including the Lakehouse which was constructed during the British era to entertain high profile guests. CI guest house meant for the common visitors” said that the construction work of the guesthouses will begin once the restriction on new projects is lifted due to the Covid pandemic.
Developed as an artificial lake during the British Raj in 1924 by tapping the ten different natural water channels flowing through the nearby Parasnath hills, Topchanchi Lake has been a major tourist destination. It even has a wildlife sanctuary that spans over an area of 8.75 square kilometers.
Surrounded by several beautiful hillocks, the lake was once a favourite place for filmmakers. Actors like Dharmendra, Ashok Kumar, Uttam Kumar, Mazhar Khan, Girish Karnad, Suchitra Sen have shot for Hindi and Bengali movies in the scenic locales of Topchanchi lake.
