KOLLAM: The Ashtamudi Lake in Kollam which is infamous for its pollution will soon get a makeover as one of the finest tourist destinations in the state. A proposal to set up a tram car, the first of its kind in the state, connecting all eight creeks of the Lake is under the consideration of the tourism department. Minister J. Mercykkutty Amma, at a meeting convened in the presence of district collector Dr S. Karthikeyan, M. Mukesh, MLA, and officials with various departments in Kollam, directed that novel projects be introduced to take Ashtamudi tourism to "new heights". The minister ordered that a feasibility study be conducted for a tram car route in Ashtamudi. Another project for constructing a ring road along the banks of the lake dedicated to cyclists and pedestrians is also under consideration.
The ring road project also envisages preventing encroachment into the lake, which has now found to be extensive. An eco-friendly trip as part of the project will help the tourists enjoy the green mangrove cover along the Ashramam end of the Ashtamudi Lake. "The procedures for giving technical sanction for an open-air auditorium near the KSRTC bus stand in Ashramam should be completed soon. The garbage treatment plant in Pullikkada should be given priority to address the pollution issues of the Ashtamudi Lake. The first preference will be given to purification of Ashtamudi Lake and the Kollam city associated, to make it a tourism spot," said Ms. Mercykkutty Amma.
The state government has already sanctioned Rs. 35 cr for various tourism projects in the district, which will also support the cause of reviving Ashtamudi Lake. The lake that had a glorious past has now turned into a dump yard of urban runoffs including untreated medical waste from hospitals, oil from workshops, and plastic waste. The size of the lake has become half in the last 50 years, and the process is continuing. A declared Ramsar site with extremely fragile ecological balance also witnesses gross violation of Coastal Regulatory Zone norms.
