Popularly known as "marine drive of Gorakhpur", 'Ramgarh Tal', the dream project of former Chief Minister Vir Bahadur Singh has been attracting tourists.
Besides, the lake, which is approximately spread in 1,700 acres, has led to the employment of many locals as well as small vendors, who earn their livelihood by selling toys, 'murmure' (street snack made of puff rice, chilly, salt and other ingredients), keychains, ice cream, 'golgappa' (another street snack), and chat.
As per a rough figure estimated by locals and the shop owners at the site, the place registers nearly 15,000 footfall on holidays and Sundays. Approximately 8,000 to 9,000 people visit the place in the remaining days.
"With its renovation, construction and latest development of ghats in Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath government, there has been a drastic change at this place. Usually, 8,000 to 9,000 people visit here every day from across the country. The place also attracts foreign tourists too. The place is overcrowded on weekends and on holidays," said Sudhir Pandey, the name changed on request, who was selling boat riding tickets from a counter established at the place.
Being run under the State Tourism Department and Gorakhpur Development Authority (GDA), Ramgarh Tal is also famous for 'Nauka Vihar' (boat riding).
The boat owners manage to earn Rs 9,000 to 10,000 per day on daily basis and the income suddenly goes almost double on weekends and on holiday.
The cost of a single ticket for boats being run with the permission of GDA is Rs 80 to Rs 200 for a 15-20 minute ride for a single person. However, the fare of the boats being run under the Tourism Department ranged from Rs 35 for paddle boat to Rs 60 for motorboat and Rs 100 for a special motorboat.
"Both GDA and Tourism department provide contracts to private boat owners and they pay the two authorities a certain amount on monthly basis as per the annual deal. The boat owners provide riding facilities to tourists and earn money. It has been a great source of income to me and other employees here with the development of the tourist place," Birju Kushwaha, an employee under boat owner-run by GDA told ANI.
He further said that more than 15-20 boats are being run in the Ramgarh Tal by both GDA and Tourism department permitted private players.
The Centre of attraction at Ramgarh Tal is its 45-minute laser light show which starts around 6 pm every day, and it attracts maximum tourists, especially domestic, in the evening hours.
For the maintenance of the Nauka Vihar area on Ramgarh Tal, GDA has employed eight sweepers and five gardeners to keep the tourist destination clean and attractive for visitors.
Ramgarh Tal is a natural lake located at the south-eastern end of Gorakhpur. In 1970, at its largest size, the lake covered an area of 723 hectares (1,790 acres) with a circumference of 18 kilometres. Today, it covers about 678 hectares (1,680 acres).
In 1985, Vir Bahadur Singh became Chief Minister and formulated a plan to develop Ramgarh Tal as a tourist center. This plan was later abandoned following his death in 1989.
When Yogi Adityanath took over the role of Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 2017, he unveiled plans to develop the lake into an 'international-level' tourist spot. The Uttar Pradesh government also unveiled plans to notify the lake under the Wetland Management Rules. Yogi Adityanath government completed the beautification work of Ramgarh Tal on October 16, 2017.
At present, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) manages the upkeep and protection of the lake. Due to the activism of the NGT, construction work has been banned within a radius of 500 meters.
"Due to its latest development and construction of driveway across the lake, it is also being popularized as marine drive along with Nauka Vihar," a gardener, named Govardhan, told ANI.
The water quality of Ramgarh Tal lake has decreased over time due to it being used as a dumping ground for sewage by nearby residential colonies. As per officials in GDA, who requested anonymity, three water treatment plans are being run at different locations of the lake to clean the water.
( With inputs from ANI )
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