Chetpet Lake set to get 10 more boats

Chennai

The 15-acre lake, which was recently converted into an eco park at a cost of Rs 42  crore, is receiving a sizable number of visitors, the boat rides being its most popular feature.

Officials are eager to keep pace with visitor footfall, which is only likely to increase since schools and colleges will soon close for the summer vacation and families will form a large part of the numbers who will visit. The shortage of boats had resulted in the authorities turning away several visitors.  

“We are now operating a total of 10 boats, but we have put up a request with the higher authorities for 10 more, which we will receive soon. We predict that 20 boats will be enough to fulfill the require ments of visitors whose number is likely to shoot up to 800 per day,” said an official with TNFDC who did not want to be named. He said that such facilities were not aimed at gaining revenue, but giving visitors a good time.

The move has received a good response from citizens. “It is a good effort that the TNFDC has created such a park in the city. It will attract a large number of people, who would earlier take a long-distance trip out during their children’s  summer vacation,” said K Hemanth, a resident of Anna Nagar.

‘Forest area’ to add sheen to picnic spot

An official said that the TNFDC was planning to plant more saplings to create more forest-like areas with small plant species. “The lake has around 5 acres of empty land and we are planning to convert the place into a tourist spot by constructing a walking track too. Further, since the areas will be filled with trees and wild species, it will attract more visitors,” said a top official, adding that they would be cleaning the section up soon.