The standing committee of the Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) on Monday decided to seek Rs 20 crore grants from the state government for the proposed development of Lake-II near Parshuram temple near Raiya village and to also use Rs13.88 crore from 15th Finance Commission Grant for this purpose.
According to an RMC proposal forwarded to the standing committee by the administrative wing of the civic body, Lake-II has 87,982 square metres (sqm) of submerged area and 79,751 sqm surrounding the lake has been earmarked for developing various amenities.
The proposed amenities include a lake entry gate, a large parking lot, an open food court, hawkers’ zone, amphitheatre, lighting, public toilet blocks, LED kiosks, BRTS plaza, gardens, street furniture, security cabin, gazebo, and so on.
According to the proposal, the planned development will cost the RMC Rs 33.88 crore.
Last year, the civic body submitted detailed project reports to the Gujarat Municipal Finance Board (GMFB) for the proposed development of Lake-II and Lake-III, both of which are located in the same area, and requested Rs 60 crore for the twin projects.
However, GMFB asked RMC to choose either of the two lakes for the development while sanctioning Rs 20 crore. GMFB had also asked the RMC to send a formal proposal for seeking the Rs 20 crore grant.
As a result, the civic body’s standing committee adopted a resolution to submit a formal proposal to the GMFB, requesting a Rs 20 crore grant for the development of Lake-II and deciding to raise the remaining Rs13.88 crore through the 15th Finance Commission Grant, the Atal Mission Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), or the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited.
“Once the work to develop it is completed, Lake-II will become a unique identity of the city,” the proposal said, adding a proposal has been sent to the office of the Rajkot district collector, seeking possession of 1.61 lakh sqm land over which the lake is spread.