Page 111 - HUDCO BEST PRACTICE AWARDS

Year 2015-16

rejuVenation and redeVelopMent of raBindra SaroBar

by Kolkata improvement trust

ocated at Southern Avenue area of Kolkata, Rabindra Sarobar Lake with an area of 192
Lacre, is a manmade lake which was dug in 1920’s. Even though Rabindra Sarobar has
been a cultural hotspot and maintains a very important place in the heart of the residents,
the vacant lands of Rabindra Sarobar became place for open defecation, garbage dumping
and other activities and as a result, the quality of environment and ecosystem of the area
has deteriorated gradually. With the aim to restore the lake, the master plan as well as DPR
was prepared by Bengal Urban Infrastructure Department Ltd. (BUIDL) and the complete
project with a project cost of Rs 20.00 Crore, has been funded by Urban Development
Department of Government of West Bengal (GoWB).
The main components conceptualized for rejuvenation are boundary fencing of the total
lake area and complete lake bank promenade with sufficient light. The promenade has
been created by relaying attractive looking paver blocks and placing heavy bollards with
light along the bank. The soil of the tree roots, which was eroding with rainwater, were
guarded with tree beds and are converted into beautiful seating areas. As a result, the
activities, which moved away from Rabindra Sarobar have been restored and the social, Image after implementation of the project
cultural, academic activities are back. The park has seen new species of birds coming,
death of fishes and other water species has also stopped.

Beautification and reVitalization of ranMal laKe by

jamnagar Municipal corporation

beautification and revitalization work was carried out by the Jamnagar Municipal With the restoration works done for the jharokas, the lake edge enhanced the beauty of the
A Corporation for the peripheral area around the Ranmal Lake located within the city of historic Lakota fort that was in the centre of the lake.
Jamnagar, Gujarat. The vision behind the project was to restore and stimulate the ‘breathing
spaces’ for the inhabitants of the city while ‘remaking a home’ for the migratory birds
and enhancing the city’s identity by reactivation of its ‘heritage structure.’ The principal
objective included the improvement in the pedestrian movement around the Ranmal Lake
and to add various supporting activities, which would enhance the value of the existing
historical structures, one of them being Lakota Fort, situated in the centre of the lake. The
project covered an area of 48,000 sq.m including 30,000 sq.m of landscaping and 18,000
sq.m of parking.
The first and foremost priority of the project was to demarcate the pedestrian and vehicular
traffic areas. The master plan was prepared on Heritage Theme in first phase. The second
and third phases were planned on Nature and Recreation Theme respectively. All these
efforts were directed towards transformation of the project site, making the lake edge
cleaner and hygienic. An increased activity of the migratory birds was also noticed. The
area became more responsive towards children and physically challenged people as the
vehicular zone was converted into pedestrian area.
Traffic congestion was reduced to a great extent as the hawkers selling food items and
small articles around the lake edge were shifted to food plaza built around the jogging track. Proposed layout plan of Ranmal Lake

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